A New Chance
by MizuNoKamisama
Summary: Severitus, post 4th year. Just your generic Harry is abused, woe is the boy who lived, until it is discovered that Severus Snape is his father. And then things get really hectic. obviously AU. Rated M for heavy abuse and light slash DM:BZ; STORY ABANDONED
1. Chapter 1

Stalking down the eerily silent halls of Hogwarts, the resident potions professor and infamous "greasy git"/"bat of the dungeons", Professor Severus Snape was hurrying to Headmaster Dumbledore's office for a meeting discussing the events that had taken place in recent weeks. Not a month before, the legendary Tri-wizard Tournament had concluded with disastrous results. A student had died, and if the story given by the witness was anything to go by (Snape snorted derisively at that), then Lord Voldemort was back in a corporeal body and gaining power.

As much as he hated Harry Potter, the boy did seem to attract an unnatural amount of trouble and the rumor was more than likely true, much to his dismay. So now he was on his way to discuss possible courses of action from this news. Of course, the Ministry was doing nothing aside from everything in its power to cover the "incident" up. Minister Fudge, being the imbecile that he is, was vehemently denying the return of Voldemort and threatening to put anyone saying otherwise under full auror investigation. No never mind the escape of Barty Crouch Jr. who had impersonated a former auror and infiltrated Hogwarts for an entire year before being caught. He had been given the dementor's kiss before he could be properly interrogated and the full truth died with him.

Of course Severus knew more than most in the wizarding world, he had fully felt the affects of the Dark Lord's resurrection thanks to the Mark branded into his left forearm. He knew the moment that his followers were summoned, and felt his stomach clench coldly as he realized he couldn't respond to the call due to his presence at the tournament. It would raise too many questions if he vanished suddenly, only to have something happen involving the Dark Lord. And his instinct had been right. Potter had arrived within an hour, bearing the cold, lifeless body of his peer in his arms. The summons hadn't occurred again since, but it was only a matter of time, and if he was going to resume his duties of spying for Dumbledore, he would have to fabricate a story that would save his life to explain his absence. As a Slytherin, such a task would really not be too difficult and he worried little about it.

Arriving at the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office, Professor Snape's face twisted into a sneer that made him look vaguely like he had swallowed something slimy and disgusting. "Cockroach clusters," he murmured, while mentally cursing Dumbledore for his affinity for sweets as his password and food of choice. He watched the gargoyle move away to reveal the stairway to Dumbledore's office and strode up as the stairs rose. Before he had a chance to even knock on the wooden door in front of him, the Headmaster's amused voice beckoned him from within.

Severus shook his head and strode in, glancing around quickly to see that the only ones present were himself, the Headmaster, his phoenix and the portraits with terrible acting skills as they all pretended to sleep.

"Ah, Severus, punctual as always. Would you like a lemon drop, my boy? Or perhaps some tea?" Dumbledore offered with a warm smile, belying the serious nature of the meeting. Not once had Severus accepted a lemon drop from the old man, and he certainly was not about to start now.

"No lemon drop, Headmaster, but tea would not be amiss," he replied, gracefully planting himself on one of the plush chairs before the desk. Fawkes, the phoenix, crooned softly before fluttering to Severus, landing on the arm of his chair and leaning into his hand before he had even a chance to pull it away or realize that the phoenix had come to him. Severus smirked uncharacteristically and indulged the bird with a light scratching on the nape of its neck. The Headmaster quickly conjured a tray of tea onto his desk, quickly preparing two cups exactly as each of them preferred and passed one of Severus.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Severus said with a nod, freeing himself from petting duty to accept the cup. He took a sip, closing his eyes briefly to enjoy the warmth that spread down his body briefly from the warm liquid as he relaxed into the chair before turning his attention to the Headmaster once more.

"I'm sure you can imagine why I called you here, Severus, though I wish it wouldn't even be an issue. Due to all the hassle with the Minister, I've not had a chance to properly talk to you on what you think about what happened. I know you felt the summons, you made that much clear, but what since then?" Dumbledore spoke up once he was sure that his colleague was comfortable and ready to approach the subject at hand.

"Yes, I felt the summons, but none since then. This could, of course, mean two things. One that the He has figured me a deserter and has stopped attempting to summon me, or else he is lying low while he gathers strength. I'm more inclined to believe the second explanation before the first. If he figured me a deserter, undoubtedly we would know by now, least of all due to his ability to send unimaginable amounts of pain through his mark. And from what Potter," his lip curled and his nose scrunched a bit as though he had smelled something foul here, "has said, it seems that he is probably waiting for the most opportune time to strike out, once he has a secure foothold in power and followers. The question is, Albus, what would you have me do when he summons again?"

The headmaster sighed, the twinkle in his eye dimming a bit at the summary as he nodded slowly. He took a long sip of his tea before answering, "I believe you are correct in your assumption that Voldemort does not figure you as a deserter yet. As for what I would have you do, what do you wish to do my boy? You have already redeemed yourself for sins past," he raised his hands, forestalling the argument that was about to come, "so it is entirely up to you if you wish to return to spying. Granted, if you decide not to, we will have to act quickly and seriously in our attempt to sever your connection to him through the mark, lest we find you dead from it." The Headmaster's face was drawn and a bit pinched at that thought and he took another fortifying sip of his tea while allowing the potions master to compose a reply.

"You know as well as I do that I could not have made up for everything I have done in my life simply by telling you a few damaging secrets of the Dark Lord's. If he summons again, I will go and find out what I can. If he suspects, I can use my emergency portkey to get out of there, but I believe we should look into ways of severing the connection in case it comes to that. He would be swift to retaliate," Severus replied, hoping to end the subject of his supposed redemption and reassure the old man that he would not dive headlong into a situation that would likely get him killed. After all, he was no Gryffindor.

"My boy, one day I hope that you will see how many times over you have redeemed yourself, but since you will not listen to this old man on the subject, I'll let it drop for now. As for your plan, I believe it would be wise to try to salvage your position as a spy, especially now that I am reforming the Order. Even if it is for one meeting, you are a valuable asset to us. Nevertheless, I do want you to take the portkey with you, since we know all too well how volatile Voldemort is. If that is all you wish to discuss my boy, I'll let you get back to your free time. I'm sure you have a lot to do to prepare for the upcoming school year and your own research."

"Yes Headmaster, that's all…I will keep you updated on His activities as best I can, and I will let you know when I am summoned. I assume you still have my robes and mask?" At this, Dumbledore nodded and opened a chest behind him, pulling out the mask to show Severus briefly before closing it again. "Very good. Then I'll be off. Should you need anything, do let me know." With that, Severus polished off his tea and left the office to return to his beloved dungeons.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry Potter, aka The Boy Who Lived, was currently having one hell of a miserable summer, to put it lightly. Currently he was sprawled on his bed, the sheets tossed around his ankles as he panted from over-heating, his body covered in a layer of sweat. His heart was racing a mile a minute and his head was spinning, despite his body being completely still. He had just awoken from a rather traumatizing dream, one of many that summer, of the last task of the tri-wizard tournament. Of course, this involved the death of Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts' proper champion (since Harry's name was added against the rules) and the resurrection of Voldemort. So not only had he woken up, barely able to stifle a scream (there would be hell to pay for waking up his relatives at 3am), but it seemed that he had managed to come down with a fever as well.

He groaned nearly silently and closed his eyes, willing the room to stop spinning as he tried to sooth his stomach by sheer will power. Of course, his stomach kept turning for several more minutes to spite him before settling down. He let out a deep breath and tried to force himself back to sleep. Of course, it was never that easy and he certainly didn't want to risk dreaming THAT again tonight. So instead, he laid still and drifted in and out of consciousness for the rest of the night until his aunt's screeching voice yelled up to up, "GET UP BOY! YOU NEED TO MAKE BREAKFAST BEFORE VERNON GETS UP!"

Harry shuddered softly as a chill ran through his body and he forced himself out of bed, quickly collapsing to his knees as the room spun wildly and his stomach lurched again. He swallowed hard and after a moment of steadying himself, he stood on shaky legs, making his way out of his room and into the kitchen. While he held little fear of his relatives nowadays, that was not always so. When he was younger, mainly before his first year a Hogwarts (though for quite a while after), his uncle would be quite brutal in his punishments if Harry "misbehaved". Of course, that could include breathing too loudly. Not to mention Dudley's games of using Harry as a punching bag and his aunt's constant verbal abuse. Now he did his chores simply to keep the peace and to keep himself busy.

"About time! Make eggs and toast, we don't have time for anything else, and don't burn anything! Vernon will give you a list of chores for today before he leaves," Petunia ordered and slid past him out of the kitchen to rouse her husband and son. Harry nodded briefly as he pulled out a pan and plugged in the toaster. He quickly got out the bread and eggs, pausing only when he got dizzy again and had to lean against the counter to stay upright. He put the toast on to cook and cracked several eggs, making a large batch of scrambled eggs within a matter of minutes.

Due to feeling awful and concentrating on not burning the food, he didn't notice his cousin enter the kitchen behind him. Dudley got a malicious grin, seeing that his cousin didn't have his "freaky stick". He waddled up behind him, peering over the shorter boy's shoulder at the pan before he grabbed Harry by the back of the neck and his shoulders. He quickly shoved him forward, using brute strength as usual and shoved the boy's right forearm straight into the pan of cooking eggs.

Harry shrieked instinctively out of pain and surprise before he fought to pull his arm from the scalding pan and escape his cousin's grip. The larger boy outweighed him by a good two hundred pounds, however, and despite appearing like a large baby whale, quite a bit of it was muscle now due to boxing. He held Harry's arm in the pan for several moments before Harry kicked back and landed his heel in Dudley's crotch. Dudley howled in pain, releasing Harry as he backed up and cupped himself, barely keeping from collapsing to his knees.

Harry was hyperventilating by that point, gripping his wrist just above the very large and angry looking burn that covered the entire tender underside of his forearm. His head spun dangerously as he backed away from his cousin, the full reality of the situation hitting him like a ton of bricks. He had kicked Dudley in the family jewels, something he had never dared to do before, and for good reason. He started shaking as he felt his cheeks heat up even more, silent tears now coursing down his face from panic and pain as he looked around the room, realizing finally that he had to get out of there. He turned to bolt out the door, even as Dudley continued to howl and carry on, probably waking up the entire neighborhood in the process, and proceeded to run straight into the formidable figure that was his Uncle Vernon.

Harry landed on the floor, his burned arm smacking the linoleum as he did, causing him to cry out briefly as he looked up at his uncle. Vernon took in the scene; the now burning eggs, his son crumpled over holding his crotch, and the panicked Harry who was undoubtedly trying to escape. "Boy…if you have done what I think you have, you are going to pay dearly. Dudley, son, what did the freak do to you?"

Dudley couldn't, or wouldn't, answer and Harry knew that his cousin had signed his proverbial death sentence. Though perhaps not so proverbial if the glint in his uncle's eyes were anything to go by. "Get…to your room. Now. And don't even think about leaving or contacting your freaky friends. I'll not have you terrorizing my son in my own home!" He roared, gaining volume as he went and his face went from red to nearly plum in color. Harry shuddered and backed away, standing shakily as the room spun once more.

He quickly dashed from the room, considering quickly doing exactly what Vernon had said not to do. However, most of his school things were locked away in his old cupboard and only a handful of objects were in the floorboard under his bed, his wand not included. His uncle had made sure that THAT particular object was in his trunk before locking it away. Thankfully, he had left Hedwig with Hermione, so he didn't have to worry about her safety. He was debating what he was going to do, when he heard his uncle on the phone, claiming to have a flat tire to explain that he would be late for work. Harry paled at that. His uncle usually left him to stew until after he got off work, and usually the worst of what he got was due to him drinking before coming home. But Vernon was sober, and pissed. Harry clutched the headboard of his bed tightly as nausea ran through him again. He closed his eyes and willed his stomach to behave, though it certainly seemed to have a mind of its own.

By the time he realized that the voice downstairs had quieted and that he was wasting time trying to not fall over, his uncle entered the room, kicking the door out of the way with a harsh bang. Harry glanced out the window, seeing that Petunia and Dudley were in the car, pulling out of the driveway. He paled further, knowing that it wasn't a good sign. When he looked back to his uncle, however, he immediately saw stars and found himself on his knees after his uncle raised the belt in his hand that Harry hadn't noticed before, and brought it hard and fast across Harry's face, buckle first. Harry hissed in pain and surprise, raising both hands to grip the sides of his head gently, hoping to stop the room from spinning as he looked up at his uncle, whose face was still a dangerous shade of purple.

"You have put my family in danger for far too long, boy, and now I'm going to do to you what I shouldn't have stopped doing all those years ago. Obviously not getting the snot beaten out of you has made you stupid. So allow me to refresh your memory!" He ranted at Harry, bringing down his belt with every other word on the last sentence. Harry fought with himself to keep from crying out. A few tears managed to leak out of his eyes, but he managed to stay nearly soundless except for the occasional gasp and hiss of pain.

"You know what my kind will do to you when they find out you did this to me," Harry spat back, more bravely than he felt. "He deserved what he got!" The expression on his uncle's face and the degree to which the vein was popping out of his forehead would have been comical if the situation hadn't been so serious. _Oh well, he's going to beat the crap out of me anyway, might as well make it worth it,_ he thought to himself.

A very demented grin slowly filled his uncle's face and Harry felt his insides do a flip that had nothing to do with the illness he was fighting, "And you are going to get what you deserve, you worthless freak. You're going to beg me to send you to meet your worthless, filthy parents before I'm done with you." He picked Harry up by the neck, throwing him onto the bed and proceeded to beat Harry for a good 15 minutes with the sharp end of the belt, causing bright splotches of red to blossom all over Harry's hand-me-down shirt that was a good four sizes too big for him.

When he stopped, Harry was whimpering and curled into a tight ball on the bed, hoping that his uncle had tired and was finished. Of course, luck just wasn't on his side that day. His uncle turned around and rooted around the room before finding what he was looking for, an aluminum bat from when he had tried to get Dudley to play that ruddy American sport. He then turned on Harry like a man possessed and proceeded to beat Harry with all his strength with the bat, not satisfied until he heard no less than 5 satisfying cracks, one bone in his arm protruding from the burned part of his arm, causing blood to run down over his abused skin and the boy was unconscious. Tossing the bat away, he stood and contemplated doing what he had done to the boy years ago to instill fear, but knew it wouldn't be nearly as fun if the boy wasn't conscious and begging him to stop.

He felt a shudder of excitement run up his spine at the thought of having such control over the boy again and he knew he wouldn't be able to resist such a treat for long. But he could wait. He straightened up his clothing and turned to leave, shutting and locking the door behind him as the boy who lived curled up on the bed gripped in a fever and the nightmare that was his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

The summer weeks passed idly for those at Hogwarts castle. Dumbledore had successfully called the first meeting of the reorganized Order of the Phoenix, and was proud as well as heartened by how many of the former members showed up to give their support. The meeting had been brief, updating everyone on the truth of the situation (rather than the drivel that The Daily Prophet had been printing) and asking if everyone would be willing to proceed as they had before, controlling damage and trying to thwart Death Eater activity. Of course everyone agreed, since they wouldn't be able to escape the war anyway, they might as well take an active part in ending it.

Now Dumbledore sat in his office, filling out paperwork to submit to the Governors of the school to seek permission to strengthen the wards around the castle and its grounds. It seemed ridiculous that he would have to ASK if he could do such a thing, but rules were rules and as Headmaster, he was bound to procedure. He sighed after finishing his signature and rolled the parchment up before sealing it magically. He turned to his beloved phoenix and the bird took the scroll in his beak gently. "Take this to the Governors' section of the ministry, you know where to go," he murmured softly to the bird, patting his feathers briefly before vanishing in a ball of flames.

Dumbledore smiled in affection for his familiar and sat back to stretch his weary back for a moment. When he looked back to his desk, however, his eye caught something that had not been there before. A stack of somethings, to be precise. He picked up the bundle of envelopes carefully after scanning them with his wand for anything dangerous. The paper was yellowed with age and he furrowed his brow, wondering exactly how they had gotten there, or if old age was catching up with him and he simply did not remember them. When he saw the letter on top was addressed to him, he knew it wasn't old age and that the letters had simply appeared on his desk.

He disentangled the letter from the top gently and readjusted his spectacles and opened the envelope, a blue flash of light on it showing that he had broken the magical seal and that it hadn't been tampered with. As he began to read, he barely noticed the return of Fawkes to his perch with a flash of fire.

_Dear Headmaster,_

_This may come as a bit of a shock, but I assure you that you are not imagining these letters just appearing. I timed them as exactly as I could with a time-delay charm. They are to appear 3 days before my dear Harry's 15th birthday. This is especially important, since you know that wizards reach their magical maturity at 15 and I fear the charms on him will not survive the burst of power._

_Please give the other letters to whom they are addressed, if you do not, the charm will know and will do it for you, but I'd much rather have you do it. The one below this one is for Severus Snape, and I hope you can track him down after all these years. The one below that is for Harry. Of course, if you have received these letters, then it means that James and I are dead and I can only hope that Harry is being raised by Sirius. He will need all the support he can get after this, and I can only be glad that he is not with my sister. Such an arrangement could prove deadly for my dear son, as my sister hates anything to do with magic with a passion, as does her husband._

_I have written these letters to inform the three of you of a secret I have kept that only I know about, not even James. James is not Harry's father. As you know, Severus and I dated in school and ended on amiable terms when he became a spy for you. Soon after, I gave into James' persistent bothering and began dating him. We got married, of course, and have had Harry. However, not everything is as fairytale-like as it seems. I came home from Healer training one night to find James in a compromising position with one of his girlfriends from school._

_I was distraught and left before he could say or do anything, and as Severus was and still is my best friend, I naturally went to him. Unfortunately, we both had a bit too much fire whiskey, emotions took over, and we slept together. I do not regret it, however, seeing as how James had been doing it behind my back for who knows how long. Well, I went home and James and I fought, but finally reconciled. We agreed to go through with the marriage the following week and put the infidelity behind us. Of course, being as good at Charms as I am, I cast a fidelity charm on both of us, to ensure it would not happen again. I am sure you know that if it is broken, it causes debilitating pain and eventually death. _

_A few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. And while James and I consummated the marriage on our honeymoon, as soon as Harry was born, it was clear to me that James was not the father. James, thankfully, was too thrilled to have a son to notice that he resembled me and someone other than himself. So when he rushed out to inform everyone of the birth, I cast several strong glamour charms on Harry. Unfortunately in my zeal to keep my secret, I ended up making Harry almost an exact carbon copy of James, the only trait of mine that he retained was my eye color._

_James still, to this day, does not know, and I hope that he never finds out. When Harry is 10, I will have to strengthen the charms to make them permanent, but if you have received this letter, than we were betrayed by Peter Pettigrew (we changed secret keepers to him from Sirius) and I am dead and unable to do so. When Harry hits his majority, he will begin to change physically. I do not know the extent of the changes, but it could be drastic. It will not be immediate, but as the charms wear off, he will gradually come into his true appearance._

_Please give these letters to Severus and Harry; they need to know the truth before it hits them like a rock. If you cannot get the letters to them before Harry's birthday, then please be ready to support Harry mentally when he finds out. He NEEDS as much love and help as he can get, especially since James and Severus did not get along and if he knows Harry at all, he might treat him the same due to the charms causing him to look like James._

_It is my wish that Severus steps up, takes responsibility, and becomes a father to Harry, but of course, that may be too much to hope for. I should have told him when I knew, but by that point, he was so deeply into his spying role that I could not risk it. Please help him understand that Harry needs him, especially if James and I are dead, and while Sirius can take care of Harry, he is not a father. Sirius may turn hostile towards Harry when he finds out, as well, so Harry could very well be alone in this without you and Severus._

_Please take care of my baby and help him as much as you can. I can only hope that things will work out well. Thank you Albus, for everything you have done for us._

_-Sincerely Yours,_

_Lily Evans-Potter_

Dumbledore sat in shock after reading the desperate letter. To say he was surprised would be an understatement, but he knew what he had to do. Summoning the courage, he wrote out a brief note to Severus, telling him to read the note when he is alone and to allow himself a few days to think about the content. He was then to come to Dumbledore's office in 3 days time, on Harry's birthday, to discuss what would be done. He attached the note to the envelope and passed it to Fawkes. "Please take this to Severus and make haste," he said softly, his eyes shining with too many emotions and thoughts. Fawkes trilled softly, realizing the state of his master and took the note, quickly vanishing.

Dumbledore returned to his seat and sat heavily, massaging his temples with his fingertips as he wondered what he could do. The part of the note that stuck out in his mind and kept replaying like a broken record was Lily's description of her sister. Had he made a terrible mistake by sending Harry there? He planned to retrieve the boy shortly after his birthday, so did not think it dire to retrieve him early. After all, he had lived there 14 years, what was 4 more days? It gave him four more days to plan how he was going to help the boy cope with the reality and changes that were going to hit him without warning.

Severus Snape stood over one of his cauldrons, concentrating intently on the bubbling concoction within. He was helping refill the potion stores in the Infirmary and was on his fourth batch of pepper-up potion. He looked up at the sudden appearance of Fawkes in a fireball and the bird fluttered to the table, landing quietly a few feet from him, waiting patiently with an envelope and note in his beak. Severus sighed, shaking his head lightly and worked on the potion until he brought it to a point where it could simmer and he moved to the bird, taking the letter. He idly scratched Fawkes' neck as he skimmed over the note, his eyes narrowing as he finished it.

Now his curiosity was piqued and he set the note down, looking over the envelope. The handwriting was familiar and the envelope was aged quite a bit. He sat down on one of the stools surrounding his workstation and worked the envelope open. The flash of blue light occurred again to signify the seal had been broken and he took out the folded letter from within. He unfolded it with growing trepidation, laid it flat on the table, and began to read.

The letter was very much the same in content as Dumbledore's, with only a change in tone since Lily was writing to a dear friend rather than her former school headmaster. Severus' sallow face grew paler by the minute as he continued to read, his stomach doing unpleasant flops as the reality of the situation started to creep up on him. When he was finished, he sat in stony silence, the only sound in the room being Fawkes' soft crooning and the light bubbling of the potion.

Severus' mind was at a frozen standstill, barely able to grasp everything that the letter had said. _Lily was pregnant with my son? Harry bloody Potter is MY son? He is going to look more like me rather than James when the charms wear off? Harry Potter is my BLOODY fucking son! _ Severus felt slightly ill at the knowledge that his son was that spoiled arrogant brat and that he had treated him exactly as she assumed he would. He felt sheepish for being predictable but could not bring himself to be 100 sorry for it. The apologetic nature of Lily's letter kept him from being angry with her for long and soon he felt a slight feeling of despair come over him as he realized what could have been had Voldemort not started his bloody war.

Severus shuddered and shook his head to clear it a bit before he gently folded the letter back up and pocketed it. He finished the potion without having to think about it, since he had made it countless times before. He left the potion to cool and retreated to his private quarters, quickly digging out the fire whiskey. He briefly recalled that it was fire whiskey that had put him into this mess in the first place and that had driven Lily to such desperate measures to protect her son and herself.

He shook his head once more and sat heavily with a glass of whiskey in one hand, the bottle in the other, which he set on the reading table beside him. He stared into the fire in his fireplace and became lost in his memories of his best friend and the nightmare that was now his son and responsibility. Lily made it quite clear that she hoped that he would come forth and claim his son and become the father to him that James and Sirius were unable to be. He felt his stomach turn unpleasantly at the thought and knew that no force on earth or in heaven, short of a mind-blowing, earth-shattering event, was going to cause him to take Harry bloody Potter as his son.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just so you all know, there is mention and brief description of rape in this chapter. You have been warned, so if you don't want to read that, skip over the section and don't flame me, I don't care. Also, as my disclaimer, I own none of this other than plot ideas, the rest belongs to JK Rowling. This is probably the only time I will put in an A/N.**

In the days following Vernon's first brutal attack on Harry, things seemed to only get worse for the boy-who-lived. Vernon had reinstalled the bars on Harry's window and had taken to beating the boy (though not as severely as the first day) everyday before work. And if he had been drinking after work, the alcohol-induced rage often resulted in a second beating when he got home. The only change had been that he no longer locked Harry's bedroom door before leaving, instead giving him chores that were to be done under Petunia's watchful gaze.

Most of the time, Harry was unable to finish all the chores due to his injuries and his worsening illness, which only further pushed his uncle to lashing out. Harry had torn up one of his old shirts and used it as makeshift bandages for his arm to sooth the burn and to protect the bone that was protruding from his skin. He used the rest of the strips of the shirt to keep his wounds clean as best he could, though he could tell that infection was setting into a few of the harder to reach cuts on his back. His face ached in sharp pain with every expression he made or whenever he spoke due to the belt lashes there. Thankfully, his cousin had been avoiding him like the plague after getting a foot to the crotch.

It was now Harry's birthday and he was in a right foul mood, since the owls that had turned up at midnight had to turn around and go back to where they came from due to the bars on his window preventing them from delivering his birthday packages. This had only served to depress Harry and worry him a bit, as his emergency food supply was empty and the Dursleys felt no reason to feed him THEIR precious food. He hoped he wouldn't have to stay in this hellhole for much longer and knew he would fight with Dumbledore until the man gave in to keep from returning. He was even prepared to come clean about his treatment by his relatives if it meant he never had to see them again.

He was just glad that his uncle hadn't taken up the other punishment he had favored several times over the years of Harry's childhood. He shuddered softly at the thought of complete violation and hoped he would never have to experience that terrible pain again. He wouldn't tell Dumbledore about THAT particular punishment unless he had absolutely no other choice. He shook his head to clear it a bit, which caused his head to spin and his stomach to lurch. _Oh gawd, not again, _he thought as he stood shakily and bolted for the bathroom, quickly retching into the toilet though nothing but sour bile came up, as there was nothing in his stomach.

He breathed heavily, feeling the heat of his forehead against his less injured arm and willed the room to stop spinning as he washed his mouth out. He slowly returned to his task of scrubbing the kitchen floor and hoped he wouldn't throw up again, the dry heaves hurt much worse than actually throwing something up. He had lost weight, he could tell, since he now had to use a few strips of his former shirt as a belt to keep his pants from falling, but he couldn't will himself to eat anything even if it was given.

He shivered lightly and concentrated at the task on hand, ignoring his aunt's shuffling around the house as she vacuumed the rooms he was not allowed into, namely the master bedroom and Dudley's room. His stomach turned in panic when he heard a car door slam outside and his head jerked up to look at the clock in fear, hoping that time hadn't escaped him. However, it was barely past lunch and Vernon was not due home for nearly another 5 hours. He let out a soft breath of relief, but jerked backwards and to his feet when he heard the front door bang open.

"BOY! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME! I DEMAND YOU TAKE IT OFF!" His uncle bellowed as he rushed into the kitchen, shoving the small teen into the wall.

Harry shook his head frantically and tried to pull away, "I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't do anything, I swear!" He could smell the alcohol on his uncle's breath and knew that his words would fall on deaf ears.

"You lying piece of shit! You got me fired from my job! I know it was you! Now I'm going to do with you exactly what I SHOULD have done from the start! I am going to regain control over you until the day you die, you filthy scum," he growled at the boy and pulled him hard by the hair, which had seemed to be growing rapidly over the last day or two. It was now to Harry's shoulders and was quite limp rather than wild, as it had been before. He dragged the boy up the stairs towards his bedroom, nodding his head to Petunia, who quickly hurried down the stairs and out the door. Harry dug his heels into the carpet and tried to push his uncle away, but that only got his severely injured arm grabbed roughly, as he cried out and nearly collapsed from pain.

Vernon quickly shoved him into the room and shut the door behind him, taking off his belt. "No no…please uncle Vernon! Not the belt again, please," Harry pleaded, hoping to satisfy his uncle by begging and trying to get off light.

"That's right boy, beg. You're going to get exactly what I've been wanting to do for a while now," Vernon replied maliciously, grabbing the boy and shoving him roughly onto his stomach on the bed. Rather than immediately pounding the boy with his belt, however, he instead secured Harry's wrists to the headboard so that circulation was cut off to his hands and he couldn't escape from it.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Harry gasped, trying to turn around though only succeeded in pinching his wrists in the belt further. That was when he felt his uncle yank his pants down and he felt his stomach bottom out. "Oh god…no, please Uncle Vernon, don't do this again!" He felt tears of panic start to run down his face and Vernon pushed his face into the pillow to stifle him as he prepared himself before pushing roughly into the boy, the pillows stifling the majority of the boy's screams. Vernon wished that he could allow the boy to scream aloud, but he couldn't risk alerting the neighbors and this would have to do.

He forced himself onto the boy for a good 15 minutes before finally finishing and letting the now passed out boy's head loose from the pillow. He made sure the boy was properly breathing and pulled both his own and the boy's pants back up, smacking him hard on the back before walking out of the room to clean up.

Harry gasped, jerking back to consciousness at the hard smack and cried out softly, his tears returning full-force as his entire lower half felt on fire and his wrists stung terribly. He cried into the pillow and curled his legs into his stomach as he laid, still attached to the bed. He fought the urge to throw up again, barely able to comprehend the fact that his uncle had just raped him again, something he hadn't done since before the boy had started Hogwarts. He felt dirty and used and cried harder at the thought of what his friends and teachers would think of him if they found out that he couldn't even fight off his muggle uncle, even without his wand.

Several moments later, the heat from his fever seemed to expand down his neck and chest and felt almost fire-like to Harry. He whimpered and tried to stop it, but soon the heat became excruciating and seemed to fill his entire body. Had his eyes been open he would have noticed the fiery golden glow around his body as he began to scream in pain, the heat consuming him. His uncle reentered the room only go wide-eyed at the display and back into a wall, unable to tear his eyes away. The heat made all of Harry's injuries feel 10 times worse and the cuts that had closed burst open with renewed vigor.

Then as quickly as it had started, the glow exploded from around him, shoving Vernon INTO the wall, causing plaster and wood to collapse around him as he landed in the hallway unconscious. The glow expended, Harry collapsed back against the bed, barely breathing and unconscious. The birthday boy had hit is magical majority, which combined with his injuries was quickly turning fatal.


	5. Chapter 5

"I can't imagine what you have called me here for, Headmaster; I don't see what needs to be discussed. Lily's letters were quite self explanatory," Severus growled as he sat in the same seat as a few weeks back, clutching a cup of tea so tightly that Albus was amazed it hadn't shattered yet.

"I am aware, my boy, that the letters explained things quite well, I did not call you here to see if you UNDERSTOOD it, I called you here to see what you thought of it and how you felt about it," Dumbledore responded calmly, idly stroking his familiar's wings. His letter was spread out on his desk, Harry's unopened copy sitting next to it still in its envelope.

Severus' eyes narrowed and if looks could kill, then Dumbledore would be dead five times over. "There is nothing to discuss, things will not change. Why would I claim that brat? He would probably hate me forever for taking him from his doting relatives." He set the cup down with a harsh clink and crossed his arms across his chest defensively, sitting stiffly on the cushy chair.

"Severus! I know that you and James did not get along and that Harry's apparent…physical similarities to him have only served to make you dislike him, but surely things have changed. Within a few days, he will undoubtedly look nothing like James and quite a bit like you and Lily. And I'm not so certain that Harry's home life has been anything that you think it is, especially from what Lily wrote about her sister," Dumbledore scolded, leaning forward and looking at Severus in a way he knew made the man feel exactly like a trouble-making third year student.

For a split second Severus looked sheepish before his glare came back full force and he sneered at the headmaster with renewed vigor, "Be that as it may, do you honestly think that THAT boy would accept me as a father? If I were so inclined as to try, that is. Certainly, no more willing than I would be to take him into my life and raise him myself. I am NOT a father, Albus."

"Ah, but you are his father and what better person would there be to be a family to him?" Albus replied, raising an eyebrow. He knew that this would be a difficult battle to wage against Severus, but he knew if he wanted to do Lily's memory justice it was a battle that he could not give up until he won. "He NEEDS you Severus, even if you do not see that now…especially once he begins to change, he will need someone to turn to. Who does he have for that, my boy?"

Severus sputtered for a moment, his cheeks tinged lightly with pink from his growing irritation with the situation. "I will not be a family to that spoiled, self-righteous, arrogant brat! He certainly does not need me any more than I need him! He has you, Minerva, that dog of a godfather of his, Lupin and his cohorts to turn to." He crossed his arms, smirking as a satisfying feeling of winning an argument settled over him. How could the Headmaster work his way out of this one?

Dumbledore slowly straightened up in his seat and actually glared at Severus, something that was so rare that it nearly left the potions master doing a wonderful impression of a goldfish, "And obviously since he is not related to James, he must have gotten his self-righteous and arrogant traits from you or Lily, hm? Who would it be then? Moreover, I am quite certain that he is not spoiled and I hope to prove that to you one day. He has Minerva and myself, yes, but he does not go out of his way to confide in us to any extent. Sirius and Remus will have a difficult time accepting the truth of Harry's parentage when they find out, as undoubtedly they would if he went to them. Lily mentioned that Sirius could turn outright hostile towards Harry and while Lupin may not turn hostile, he will most likely stick by his friend. And as for his friends…nothing compares to a parent, and I highly doubt Mr. Weasley is going to take the news well, though I daresay Ms. Granger will probably be a bit more accepting. He has no true parental figure Severus; he will need you whether or not you admit it or accept it."

Severus was saved the task of answering when a high-pitched whining siren went off, seeming to originate in the air of the office and bounced off the walls and portraits. He cringed and jumped to his feet in surprise, wand out of his arm holster on instinct as he looked around before looking to Dumbledore and yelling over the sound questioned, "What the bloody hell is that NOISE?" He narrowed his eyes and raised his eyebrow at the shocked look on the Headmaster's face but worry started to creep into his stomach as the look turned to grim panic. Albus waved his wand for a moment and the siren ceased as quickly as it had started, leaving the room in an unnatural silence when it stopped. The silence was quickly broken by the portraits making a ruckus, Fawkes twittering irritably and Severus trying to question the Headmaster over the din of the portraits.

Albus seemingly ignored it, his face an unnatural shade of pale as he quickly holstered his wand, moved from behind his desk after collecting one of his pre-made portkeys, and headed to the door. "Please come with me Severus, it is a matter of urgency, I shall explain on the way," he spoke softly, his tone showing the seriousness of the situation. Severus stood gaping like a goldfish for a moment before he quickly followed the Headmaster out of the office and down the halls of the school towards the main entrance.

"What was that, Albus?" He questioned as they passed through the doors, his voice staying steady and low, despite how shaken up he was by the wailing siren.

"That, my boy, was a ward I put on a particular students health…it would not go off like that unless said student was at risk of death," Albus replied after a few moments, his voice now grave and his face still an unhealthy pale.

"Dear god…What student? Why would you put the ward on them in the first place?" Severus pushed, hoping to glean as much information as possible.

"I put it on him because he is always in danger of being attacked, and as for whom he is, you will see. We are going to fetch him. I daresay, if the wards went off that loudly, we need to bring him back to Poppy immediately," he replied as they reached the apparation wards. He gently gripped Severus' arm and when he saw that the man was ready, he apparated both of them to Privet Drive, since Severus did not know their destination.

* * *

Dumbledore quickly hurried down the street, intent on one house that looked identical to all the others. Nothing about it signified to Severus that it was special. He quickly followed Dumbledore, keeping up with his long strides as they approached the house. Given the nature of the situation, Albus did not feel that it warranted politeness, so quickly muttered the unlocking spell and stepped into the house. Severus raised an eyebrow at this, as Dumbledore was usually nothing but polite and realized just how serious this was. As soon as they stepped into the unnaturally quiet and clean house, he could instantly tell that something was not right, due to his years as a spy. 

A barely noticeable chill ran up his spine as he looked around, unsure of what was off. Aside from pictures covering the walls that did not move and showed no sign of the boy-who-lived, nothing was immediately observably off. He quickly started up the stairs as Dumbledore moved down the hall towards the kitchen, opening the cupboard under the stairs along the way. Severus heard a barely audible gasp and stopped, turning on the stairs and going back towards Dumbledore, "What is it?" He looked into the cupboard and narrowed his eyes, pulling out the Hogwarts trunk and the empty owl cage that had been shoved into the small space atop what seemed to be a cot. A further examination of the room showed that it had once been a bedroom, if the broken toys and taped up drawings on the walls were any indication.

Severus felt his stomach turn unpleasantly at the thought that someone slept there at one point. He looked at the Headmaster and raised an eyebrow, setting the trunk and cage in the hall and shutting the cupboard. "I'll look upstairs if you want to check down here? We'll find the student and then we can leave, something doesn't feel right here," he muttered quietly and turned once more to the stairs, making his way up once more, his pulse racing in anxiety now.

Albus nodded and continued to the kitchen, noticing the bucket and rag that had been abandoned on the floor, as well as a reddish-brown stain on the far wall. He narrowed his eyes and approached it slowly, stepping around the bucket to examine the stain, which upon closer inspection was clearly dried blood. This certainly did not bode well. The elderly wizard nearly jumped out of his skin when suddenly he heard the younger professor yell from upstairs, "Headmaster! Up here now!"

* * *

Severus walked up the stairway as Albus moved into the kitchen and felt his trepidation growing quickly. Once he reached the landing, he quickly spotted the very large man lying unconscious on the floor, part of a wall's plaster and wood lying on and around him. He narrowed his eyes, his senses stretching to feel for any danger, but he could sense none. He stepped forward, quickly checking for a pulse on the disgusting man. Upon finding one, he levitated him out of the way and peered around the hall. The door of the room the man had come out of had a series of padlocks along the outside. 

_But wait, that isn't right…why is it on the outside? What would they want to keep from getting out?_ He thought to himself before he stepped up to the gaping hole in the wall and examined the bedroom. That was when his eyes fell upon the battered form on the bed. A horrified chill ran up his spine and he cautiously stepped into the room. Once he realized that no one dangerous was in the room, he hurried to the prone form. The mop of longish, messy black hair seemed familiar and he raised an eyebrow, as he examined the extreme injuries that were obvious. From the state of the bandages, most of them were not fresh either, so obviously what was happening was not a one-time thing, nor was this the first of it.

He quickly banished the belt that had been cutting into the tender skin of the boy's wrists and when he realized that the prone figure was not breathing, he hastened his movements and gently turned him over. The sight that met his eyes would be burned in his memory for a long time to come. The boy who lived had turned an unnatural shade of bluish grey from lack of oxygen, his face and visible body riddled with injuries that seemed to get worse with each one he saw. Quickly casting an "anapneo", he scooped the too-light boy up in his arms and bellowed, "Headmaster! Up here now!" With that, he moved through the gaping hole in the wall, stepping over the body in the hall without a second thought and moved to meet Dumbledore on the stairs.

"Harry Potter. We came here to get Harry Potter!" He snarled, glaring at the man as he tightened his hold on the boy, eliciting a faint moan from the barely living boy, who had ceased looking blue and now looked a sickly shade of grey. He looked down, noting that he was still unconscious and felt his stomach bottom out for the umpteenth time that day.

"Yes Severus, we came to collect Harry. For now, let us get him to Poppy. We can discuss what you found upstairs afterwards," he replied, quickly shrinking the trunk and cage and pocketing them. He pulled out the portkey and both men gripped it tightly as Severus shifted the burden in his arms gently and they were transported to the hospital wing, the last thought on Severus' mind as the world spun being "what have you gotten yourself into now, Potter?"

* * *

Anapneo clears the airway and encourages breathing 


	6. Chapter 6

"POPPY!" The voice of the two men rang out through the Infirmary as the portkey deposited them in the middle of the room, Severus quickly moving with the unconscious boy in his arms to one of the pristine, white beds. Dumbledore hurried towards the back office and stopped as an irritated Madam Pomfrey stepped out, glaring at them.

"What is all the shouting about? I may not have patients during the summer, but I demand peace in my ward!" She squawked irritably, stepping towards the Headmaster as she spoke, poking him lightly in the chest. Her eyes narrowed, however, as she noticed the expression on Dumbledore's face and looked to Severus, seeing an equally grim look on his face as well. "What is it?"

Dumbledore quickly took her gently by the arm and lead her over to the bed behind the partially closed curtain and she gasped, eyes going wide as her hands covered her mouth. She glanced over the barely living boy on the bed before quickly snapping into nurse mode. "Severus! I need Skelegrow, Blood Replenishers, Shock Reducers and Dreamless Sleep," she quickly spoke, knowing that that was the minimum of what she would need. She pulled out a parchment from her pocket, lightly tapping it with a muttered incantation before passing the wand over the prone form on the bed, incanting a similar string of words.

A light green glow engulfed Harry's body and words began writing themselves onto the parchment that the mediwitch held in her hands. Dumbledore conjured a chair far out of the way and sat heavily, unable to pull his eyes from the sickly ashen grey form on the bed that was his responsibility. He buried his head into his hands after a moment and silently mourned for the boy he had failed.

Severus had quickly moved to the office, used the floo to reach his private rooms quickly, and bustled around gathering the required potions, plus his emergency kit in case she needed others. He forced himself to not think of the boy-who-lived and thought only of the task at hand. Potions collected, he quickly moved back to the floo and traveled back to the Infirmary. He strode back to the mediwitch just as the words on the parchment stopped and he set the vials on the table next to the bed. Poppy's eyes skimmed over the list and by the end, she was choking on emotion as she forced herself to remain calm and collected.

"Gather anything else you think we need, I'll start on the poor boy," she spoke tightly, her voice cracking faintly with unshed tears. She quickly banished the bloodstained shirt and pants from the boy, leaving him only in his boxers as she covered him with a light sheet. She unwrapped the soiled and old bandages from his many wounds and cast cleaning spells on each of the deep and infected wounds. Fortunately, Harry was unconscious, as the spells were quite painful on older, infected cuts. She did not like the difficulty he was having breathing and incanted several spells to clear blood and fluid from his lungs and airways.

The difference was almost instantaneous as Harry began breathing easier, the rhythm leveling out steadily. She then gently spelled the protruding bone back into his arm before picking up the vial of Skelegrow. She propped his head up easily with conjured pillows and massaged his throat so that he could swallow the thin liquid without choking. It certainly would not do to have him drown on potions after clearing his airways out. She then proceeded to administer the first Blood Replenisher and Shock Reducer, which seemed to ease the tension in the boy's body.

She glanced up and noticed that Severus had stayed rooted to the spot he was in previously, his eyes shining oddly as he stared at the parchment clutched tightly in his hands, his face unnaturally pale even for him and his jaw set tightly. She swore that she could almost hear his teeth grinding harshly. "Severus, I need a burn cream and salves for his wounds," she spoke gently, shaking him out of his reverie.

He looked up at her as though just noticing that she was there before jerkily turning and handing the parchment to Dumbledore before he strode to one of the supply cabinets in the Infirmary and withdrew the two salves that were needed. He silently made his way back to the mediwitch, who took the burn cream first and gently began rubbing it into the large, nasty burn on Harry's arm.

Needing something to do, Severus opened the wound salve and despite being almost afraid of touching the boy for fear of harming him further, he gently began rubbing the salve into the wounds on the boy's face and neck. His eyes stayed glazed however, as he did not really concentrate on his task, his mind reeling and playing the list repeatedly through his head. _Cracked skull, four broken ribs (two shattered and puncturing his lung), broken arm, fractured pelvis, extensive bruising, deep, infected lacerations, tissue damage to the chest, abdomen, arms, legs and rectal region. _

That last part was what shook Severus to the core. The boy had been molested and from the details the list went into, it was not the first time. Such an injury had previously healed, as had many of the other injuries, which suggested that the abuse had been going on for months, probably years. Severus had seen (and experienced) his fair share of child abuse as head of Slytherin and a former Slytherin himself.

Most of the children came from less than loving families, so he was normally adept at dealing with this sort of thing. But not like this, not from this child. Not from HIS child. That thought caused his stomach to do an unpleasant flop and he felt despair welling up in him despite his best effort to quash it. He had never, in all his years as Head of Slytherin, dealt with a child that had been raped. It just was not done in Wizarding society, at least Pureblood Wizarding society, which was where most of the abuse stemmed from.

HIS son, his and Lily's son, had been severely abused, possibly for years, and had been raped by those in charge of taking care of him. And from the state of the boy's room and the man lying in the hall (whom he assumed to be Harry's uncle), he had little doubt as to which of his guardians had done the brunt of it. Fury quickly rose up and burned through the despair as he had the barely restrainable urge to go back to the house and kill the fat muggle with his bare hands. But he could not. Not yet. He was needed in the Infirmary to help Poppy piece his son back together.

The thought still felt weird to him, that Harry was his son, but given the current situation, he could not bring himself to think badly of the broken boy before him. He finished applying the salve to the injuries on the boy's chest and arms, moving down to apply it to his legs before Poppy levitated him up and turned the boy in the air and proceeded to help him apply the salve to the injuries that riddled his back. They left what was beneath the boxers alone, as Poppy could repair that damage with a spell. Neither felt the need nor the want to violate the boy any more than he already had been.

* * *

Salve done, she quickly applied clean, proper bandages to the wounds on his back and laid back gently onto the bed once more and continued to bandage the boy's many wounds. Within minutes, the boy could have been doing a fair impression of a mummy. Severus mentally snorted at the idea and forced himself to keep from running his fingers gently through the boy's messy hair. He gave himself a chance to finally look at the boy's face in earnest and was glad to see that some color had come back to replace the sickly grey that had been there before.

The boy still looked quite a bit like James, though his hair was longer, limper and seemed to be less wild. His features also seemed to be less boyish and round, though that could possibly have been due to a lack of steady meals more than the charms. Only time would tell. He sat stiffly on one of the chairs beside the bed, ignoring the odd look on the mediwitch's face as she observed him for a moment before she hurried off to clean up the supplies they had used. He stared intently at the boy as his mind went back over the letter he had all but memorized by now.

He honestly did not know what to do, which left him unsettled, as he was rarely indecisive. He faintly felt the Headmaster's hand rest lightly on his shoulder for a moment, giving him an encouraging squeeze before the elderly man moved towards the office to speak with Poppy, his face tear stained and looking all his 150 years. Severus did not even bother to look up or acknowledge the man, simply continued to observe the unconscious young man before him.

He reached over for the vial of dreamless sleep and repeated Poppy's earlier movements of propping him up and helping him swallow the potion before lying him down once more. He gently arranged him on the pillows to be more comfortable and pulled the sheets up to the boy's shoulders, gently tucking him in. He knew what he should do. He knew what Lily had wanted him to do. To become a father to the boy-who-lived. The thought vaguely made Severus feel ill and uneasy at the same time. He was not a proper father figure, not by any stretch of the imagination. He was cruel, sarcastic, cold, and downright mean. Sure, he could be comforting when he chose to be for his Slytherins, especially the abused ones, but the situation had changed greatly in this case. This was not a Slytherin; this was not someone he could patch up and send off on his or her own life. This was Harry Potter and his son on top of that.

He knew what he undoubtedly had to do for the boy, he only hoped he had the courage and patience to try and that the boy would realize he needed someone to turn to when he woke up. Severus knew all too well how it was to keep such feelings about ones' home life bottled up inside and how it could quickly turn to acid and eat away at you. Getting the stubborn Gryffindor to open up to him and to explain the situation to his godfather and Lupin was going to be difficult. Nevertheless, thanks to Lily's soft words rustling through his mind, he knew he had little choice but to try. If not for himself, then for the broken and battered form before him.

He sighed and settled back into the chair, and stayed at his vigil through the night. It was only in the early morning hours the following day that Poppy managed to gather his attention and shoo him back to his quarters with orders to rest. She threatened to place observation wards on him to make sure he obeyed, but his grumbling and glaring finally convinced her not to. Instead, the disgruntled man returned to his rooms and without changing, he flopped onto his bed with an unnatural gracelessness and quickly fell into a restless, but sorely needed sleep. His dreams for once were not of the dark lord and his past deeds, but of the boy who lived, his redheaded best friend and images of what he would do to that muggle once he got his hands on him.

* * *

Dumbledore sat in his office at roughly the same time that Severus was being ushered out of the Infirmary, having gotten very little sleep himself. His face was still pale and drawn, his fingers softly caressing the envelope from Lily that was meant for Harry, intending to leave the letter by the boy's bed for him and to allow him to read it on his own. There was not much he could explain to the boy, so he planned to leave him to himself with the letter, to allow the boy time to think and absorb the information. He was encouraged, however, by what he had observed of Severus. The nearly unreadable expression of grave concern on the man's face as he sat in vigil over the boy gave him hope for the two. It was with that thought that he stood, letter in hand and proceeded to the infirmary to deliver the envelope to the still sleeping boy. 


	7. Chapter 7

As Harry slowly came back to awareness, he became aware of the dull aches and pains that filled his every muscle and bone. He felt like jelly and couldn't even raise a limb without putting all of his will power into it. He kept his eyes closed as he snuggled into the warmth of the bed, trying to figure out where he was and why he ached so much. He became aware of voices echoing from down the ward and chanced to peak his eyes open briefly, taking in glaring white. He quickly shut his eyes with a silent moan and tried to bury his face into his pillow.

_Why am I in the Infirmary already? School hasn't even started. Wait…school hasn't started, why am I at Hogwarts? _He thought to himself, straining to remember what had happened. Then it came to him, his illness, Vernon being fired and taking it out on Harry and the blinding fiery pain that had engulfed him. His illness seemed to be gone, as he was not sick to his stomach nor dizzy, nor feverish. He was amazed he didn't hurt worse, but figured that Madam Pomfrey had healed him. _Oh, shit…does that mean she knows what happened? No, she can't possibly know…but then I would still hurt,_ he thought in a panic as he worked his eyes open again, adjusting to the mid-afternoon light of the infirmary. How long had he been asleep?

He gently sat up, using the railings on the bed for help and used to pillows surrounding him to prop himself up and looked around. He discovered that the voices were coming from Madam Pomfrey's office in the back of the ward and he could distinctly hear three voices, two male and one female. Undoubtedly Pomfrey and Dumbledore were two of them, but who was the other? He glanced around, spotting on his table a yellowed envelope addressed to him. He couldn't imagine who had sent it to him, as the handwriting was not familiar, but since it had been left for him he knew it was safe.

He picked up the envelope, examining the outside curiously, but quickly lowered his hands to his lap when he heard a door open and a very familiar voice snap, "I know what I have to do! You know as well as I that the rest lies with him." Harry's eyes sought the tall figure in black and he felt his stomach turn unpleasantly at the sight of Professor Snape stalking down the Infirmary. Snape stopped, however, when he saw that Harry was awake and sitting up. He stood stock-still, staring at the boy until he was unnerved by the gaze and muttered softly, "Don't do anything foolish, we don't want you to hurt yourself further."

With that, Snape left the ward and a very confused Harry behind. _Was SNAPE actually being nice to me? _The thought unsettled him as much as the man's indecipherable gaze had. Did Snape know what happened to him? The thought made him feel ill; he was sure the man would use the information against him. However, the man certainly had not said anything yet, so maybe he didn't know. Harry finally looked back to the letter in his hands, turning it over with a bit of trepidation now. He was interrupted again at the sound of two sets of shoes coming towards his bed. He looked up, seeing that his earlier guess had been correct and that it was Pomfrey and Dumbledore.

"Hello my boy, how are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked, sitting in the chair that had been occupied by Severus the night before. Madam Pomfrey quickly cast a few diagnosis spells and checked on his health, eyeing Harry critically before barking that he was to rest and not over-exert himself. With that, the mediwitch left Harry alone with the Headmaster.

"I'm…alright, I guess. What was Snape doing here?" He replied once the mediwitch was back in her office.

"That's Professor Snape, Harry…and he was with me when we found you at Privet Drive. In fact, he stayed in the ward with you last night while Poppy got some rest," Dumbledore explained patiently, noticing the slight flinch the boy gave at the mention of Privet Drive.

"So he knows…" Harry muttered to himself, feeling very sour towards the Potion's Master.

"Knows what, Harry?" Dumbledore questioned softly, watching the boy intently as he paled and a barely noticeable shake began in his hands that tightly clutched the unopened letter.

"He knows what happened to me. What my uncle did," Harry replied after a moment, remembering his earlier resolve to tell Dumbledore nearly anything to get out of going back to his relatives again.

"What did he do, Harry? You were quite gravely injured when we found you," Dumbledore pressed, gently patting the boy's hands, causing the boy to look up at him with pain-filled eyes.

"The bastard beat me. He hasn't done it for years, he's been too afraid to since I started school…but when Dudley burned my arm a few days ago, I did something stupid to him and Uncle Vernon beat me for it. Used his belt and Dudley's old bat from that American sport," Harry spoke, his voice strong in the beginning, but growing quieter as he spoke.

"Did he beat you that badly when you were younger?" Dumbledore asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

"No sir…usually just a bit of slapping me around, but this time he was out for blood. To defend myself I kicked Dudley in the jewels…Uncle Vernon didn't look kindly on that…and then the day you found me, he was fired from his job. He came home and took it out on me. He normally doesn't get that violent unless he's been drinking, though. I guess it was the last straw, he put all of his rage into it…" Harry finished quietly, now as pale as a ghost and lightly shaking at the memory.

"And then he raped you?" Dumbledore questioned quietly, shifting to the bed to gently wrap his arm around Harry's shoulders as the boy swallowed a sob at the question, tears trailing down his cheeks at the memory and the shame that welled in him. He nodded jerkily and allowed himself to be held, burying his face in the Headmaster's soft robes and clinging to him like a lifeline after a moment.

"I'm so sorry, my boy…had I known, I would never have sent you back there. I have failed you, Harry, and I hope that one day you can forgive me…You are not at fault my boy; no child that is abused is. Severus was here not only because he was with me when we found you, but he helped Madam Pomfrey heal you and he is the staff member most experienced with abused children. Many that come out of Slytherin did not have a happy home life and as their Head of House, they turn to him," Dumbledore explained, gently rubbing Harry's back. "Why did you not come to us about your uncle, Harry?"

After a few minutes, Harry had calmed and had pulled away from the embrace, now fingering the envelope once more, staring at it intently, "I thought you knew at first, but when I realized that you didn't, I was too ashamed to bring it up. He hadn't done it for years, so I thought you would think I was grabbing at straws to try to avoid going home. And he told me if I ever told anyone, he'd find out and I'd pay." That last sentence was spoken so softly that Dumbledore had to strain to hear it.

"Oh my boy, I should have known about it, I should have checked on you more often…You are not to be ashamed for this, it was nothing you could have stopped. Had you acted against him, you could have been expelled from using magic outside of school. He will never lay a hand on you again, my boy, you can be sure of that. We will figure out a new living arrangement for you in due time. As for this summer, you will be staying here at Hogwarts to recover. That letter in your hands was written to you with a time-delay charm on it. I myself got one, as did Professor Snape. You will understand why, when you read it. It is from your mother, so please trust anything she says. We know they were not tampered with, due to a sealing charm, so the letter is unaltered from her," Dumbledore explained, now on more familiar territory rather than feeling lost.

Harry's heart stopped briefly in his chest as he held the envelope up, his eyes grazing over the handwriting that was his mother's. "My mum? Why did she--"

"Read the letter Harry, it will explain everything. Moreover, should you need anyone to talk to about it, you have me, Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape and Hagrid. We are ALL open to have you speak with us about it, as all four of us know what is in the letters. Please do not do anything rash from what you find out, my boy and remember that your mother loved you dearly and only wanted to protect you," Dumbledore explained and stood, patting Harry's shoulder. He smiled warmly to the boy, "I shall be in my office, Poppy is in her office, professor Snape is undoubtedly in his office or personal quarters and Hagrid is at his home. If you need to leave, please ask Madam Pomfrey first so we don't have to send out a search party for you on her order. Happy reading, my boy." With that, he gently squeezed Harry's shoulder in silent support and retreated from the ward.

Harry barely glanced up or acknowledged what had been said to him. He gripped the enveloped tightly, hands shaking now, but for a different reason. _My mum wrote this to me? Why did she write to Dumbledore and Snape too?_ He couldn't imagine a less likely group of people to receive relating letters from someone. With that, he shook his head and opened the envelope in a flash of blue light.

* * *

A/N: Yes yes, evil cliffy I know. I have to go to work, but I may write the next chapter tonight rather than wait until tomorrow. ;) Reviews are always appreciated, just not flaming. 


	8. Chapter 8

_My dearest Harry,_

_If you are receiving this letter than James and I are dead. I am so sorry, love, we did everything we could to prevent it from happening. However, there was a spy in the order (and if we are betrayed, then you can inform the ministry if they do not already know that it is Peter Pettigrew). Peter is currently our Secret Keeper where we are hiding and while he is not our first choice (Sirius Black, whom I am sure is your guardian now with our deaths, was our original choice), we did what we had to, to keep you safe._

_I am writing you to tell you of a secret I have been keeping, James does not even know. I have written letters with this one, explaining the situation to Headmaster Dumbledore and Severus Snape, so if you need someone to talk to, go to one of them. First, know that James and I love you dearly; everything we have done since you were born has been to keep you safe and away from the Dark Lord. However, Harry…James is not your father. I know this will come as a severe shock and I will understand if you are outraged, but please allow me to explain before you go off, wands blazing and hunt down someone for information._

_James and I dated in 7th year, but he was always very popular with the girls, perhaps a bit too much. About a week before our wedding, I caught him with a former girlfriend. I will spare you the details, but I was distraught. I went that night for help from my best friend from school, Severus. Despite what you may have heard of Severus, he is not the terribly evil person that undoubted Sirius has made him out to be. And while he may not treat you kindly, if you have met him, it is because you look like James. Yes, I shall explain that shortly._

_Well, emotions and fire whiskey led from one thing to another and Severus and I slept together. It was the first and only time we did anything of that nature together, as when we were sober we were far too close of friends to consider each other that way…but what was done, was done. James and I fought and reconciled the following day and agreed to continue with the marriage, however I placed Fidelity charms on both of us to insure it would not happen again. The charm borderlines on the Dark Arts, as the end result for infidelity is death. We were very serious about the choice to enact it and to remain faithful._

_Well, I later found out I was pregnant and while there was the possibility that you were James', when you were born it was obvious to me that you were not. So when James went off to announce to the world that he had a son, I (perhaps a bit over-zealously) placed several strong glamours on you. In my hurry, I wiped our nearly any resemblance you have to me and you ended up looking nearly identical to James. Nevertheless, it suited the purpose. In order for the charms to be permanent, I would have had to reapply them when you were 10, but since you are reading this, I was not able to. Now that you are 15, the charms will wear off as you come into your magical majority._

_Your magical majority is going to be painful, it always is. It causes excruciating heat in your body and causes a small explosion when it occurs. After that happens, the charms will break down rapidly. I do not know the extent of what the changes to your appearance will be, but you will no longer look like James. Rather, you will end up looking somewhere between myself and Severus, and I can only hope you have my nose. Yes, that was a half-joke, dear._

_Seek out Severus, give him a chance. Even if he has been cruel to you before now, as I said, it is likely due to you looking like James. Once that appearance is gone, he will undoubtedly give you a chance if you give him one. Please let go of any negativity that has formed between you two and start anew if you can. I can only hope that it will work out and you will have a father. Yes, you likely have Sirius, but Sirius hated Severus with a passion. Once you come into your appearance, he will find out either by deduction or you telling him._

_I will not lie to you Harry, not anymore; Sirius is fickle when it comes to Severus. He could possibly turn on you when he finds out that Severus is your father, so brace yourself. But do not face this alone; find SOMEONE to help you to deal with your new appearance and your new father. I love you Harry, dearly, as does James. I am sure he would love you just as much, even if he knew that you were Severus'. Severus was a spy for Dumbledore in the war against Voldemort, which is why he was unable to claim you to any extent; even if he had known that you were his son. Please do not think him a dark wizard, but get to know him. He has received a letter explaining all of this as well, so he may be expecting you to contact him about it. Please do what you feel is right. _

_Love,_

_Lily

* * *

_

Harry felt his body tense and saw that a few droplets of water splattered onto the page as he finished reading. He raised a numb hand to his face, realizing that they were tears. He couldn't believe what his mother had written. Snape was his father. The greasy git of the dungeons, the great bat. He unconsciously rubbed his nose, relieved to feel that it was neither larger than usual, nor crooked. _It had probably been broken, not crooked from the start. So, my appearance is going to change?_ He thought to himself, glancing around for a mirror. Instead, he had to settle for his barely visible reflection in the glass of the window.

Not much had changed so far, his face had lost its roundness, becoming more angular, more defined. His nose was mostly the same, though less Romanesque than it had been and his cheekbones seemed higher. His hair had grown down to his shoulders, which was unusual since it never grew longer than just past his ears before. It also seemed to be less wild and more limp, but not greasy. It was soft, however, almost baby soft, rather than slightly coarse as it had been.

He felt his cheeks flush and body warm uncomfortably as the reality of the situation had hit him. THAT was why Snape was acting funny, he must have already known! The thought made him feel sick even as a small voice in the back of his mind quietly chirped: "your father, not Snape". He couldn't stay, not in the Infirmary. He felt trapped and claustrophobic. With an energy he hadn't possessed when he awoke, likely due to the adrenaline flowing through his veins now, Harry tossed off the sheet over him, looking down at bandaged body. He lowered the railing on the side of the bed and grabbed the robes that had been set aside for him. He certainly was not going to run around the castle in his boxers, imitating a mummy.

He threw the clothing on haphazardly, not allowing himself to think of being only in his boxers around anyone, as memories of what his uncle had done were still fresh. He shoved the letter into his pocket along with his wand on the nightstand, pulling on a new pair of glasses that had been provided for him and he ran from the ward as quickly as his tired, aching body would allow.

He bolted blindly up the stairs of the castle, unnerved by how silent the ancient building was, not thinking of any particular destination. He just had to get away to think, away from everyone. He ran until he felt his energy waning fast, opening a final doorway until he felt warm air hit his face. He was outside on a tower, he realized with a start, having not realized that he had gone that far. He shut the door behind him, panting and coughing from the exertion on his still recovering lungs. He stepped forward on now shaky legs, realizing he was on the astronomy tower. He ran shaky hands through his lank hair as he walked to the turrets on the edge of the tower and sat heavily on the large ledge, far from the edge.

He stared off at the grounds, his mind racing with too many thoughts for him to catch any. All that he was aware of was the painful throbbing in his chest from confusion and uncertainty and the tears that had started down his cheeks once more. He was not even sure why he was crying, but it eased the desperation that was welling inside of him, so he did nothing but idly wipe his cheeks with a sleeve every now and then.

He was happy that he finally had something from his mother, a physical object, through which to remember her, but the pain that her words had brought dampened that joy. He knew Snape would never accept him, not in a million years. From Harry's first day, he considered Harry an arrogant, spoiled brat who rode through life on fame. Harry realized that THAT was where the painful throbbing in his chest originated. He now had a father, but one who hated him and would likely send him back to the Dursleys so he would not have to deal with him.

The little voice in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like Hermione spoke up again, reminding him that he should refer to the man as his father rather than Snape (Harry knew he couldn't do THAT any time soon) and that if the man had truly seen what Vernon had done to him, he would never send him back. Snape may be a bastard towards him, but he had never caused him harm. The voice also pointed out that Snape had not said anything nasty to him either, simply warned him to not do anything stupid. Undoubtedly, this was what he had been talking about.

Harry felt the painful throb dull a bit into an almost numb throbbing as he leaned back against the side of the turret and eyed the squid in the lake, continuing his mental debate with the Hermione-wannabe voice in his mind.

* * *

Not a half-hour after he had left Harry, Albus had received a frantic fire call from Madam Pomfrey. It seemed that Harry had either ignored or not heard Albus' request that he inform Poppy if he was going to leave the ward, and she had emerged to find an empty bed. Of course, Poppy insisted that they find him, as he could cause damage to himself if he was not careful with his newly healed injuries.

So now, Albus was on his way to the dungeons to inform Severus of the boy's disappearance and to request he help search for him. He had already fire called Hagrid and the half-giant was searching the grounds for the boy, but Severus had sealed his floo, something he had a habit of doing when he wanted to be alone.

Albus requested that the portrait guarding Severus' rooms inform the man that he was there, and had to wait only a moment before the portrait flew open. Severus eyed the older man wearily before allowing him into his rooms, having obviously been drinking just a few minutes before.

"My boy, I hate to disturb you, as I know you close your floo when you want to be alone, but we have a problem," Dumbledore began, quickly finding a sober-up potion for the teacher.

Severus raised an eyebrow, taking the potion and downing it in one go, before he set the vial on his desk, "Potter did something stupid, then."

"Yes Severus, it seems that young Harry left the Infirmary without informing Poppy and now we cannot find him. His undoubtedly still on school grounds, but with just the four of us here, we need help retrieving him for Poppy," Dumbledore replied, ignoring the tone of the younger man's voice. He watched with carefully concealed amusement, as the man's face seemed disappointed when his alcohol-induced buzz faded off and he realized he had wasted his fire whiskey.

"I take it Hagrid is searching the grounds?" Severus spoke after a moment, composing himself quickly before he started for the door with the headmaster.

"Yes, and I have searched most of the dungeons before I came here, though I highly doubt he would come down here right now. He took his letter with him," Dumbledore explained. "I suggest you search the towers while I search the middle floors. We can meet at the Infirmary to regroup afterwards."

Severus barely stifled an irritated sigh and nodded, "As you wish, Headmaster, I shall meet you in the Infirmary after my search."

"Splendid, meet you there Severus," Dumbledore concluded, heading off to search the first floor as Severus moved to the stairs and started the long trek to the highest tower, the Astronomy Tower.


	9. Chapter 9

_God dammit., this boy is going to be the death of me. Especially if I have to run up these damn stairs every time he's upset,_ Severus thought to himself, groaning as he continued up the unending staircases that lead to the towers. He figured he would start from the highest and work his way down, that way he would not be completely winded by the time he ended up back in the Infirmary.

He growled and forced himself to bring his breathing back to normal as he saw the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the Astronomy Tower door. _If that brat is not up in the towers, there is going to be hell to pay for making me chase after him,_ he thought smugly to himself, ignoring the headache that was forming from his earlier alcohol consumption. A sober-up potion certainly did not include a hangover potion; he would have to rectify that later.

He threw open the astronomy tower door with a bang he had not intended upon. He was hoping for the silent approach, not to give the child a heart attack before getting the chance to sneak up on him. He stopped just past the doorway, straightening his robes and looked around before he finally spotted the current bane of his existence, his son. Harry was gripping the turret tightly, facing Severus with a look of fear and panic plastered on his face.

"Well well, at least I managed to find you on the first try. Are you TRYING to lose all hope of Gryffindor winning the house cup next year before the year even starts? Because I assure you, Mr. Potter, you are well on your way there," Snape spoke smoothly, approaching Harry slowly, not wanting to startle him further with him sitting so close to the edge of the tower.

"P-professor! What do you mean? I haven't done anything," Harry jumped to his feet, staying where he was, however, quickly using his sleeve to wipe his face. Well this certainly wasn't how he wanted to have his first conversation with Snape after the letters. He'd been foolish to think that anything would have changed.

"Indeed? Then I suppose you simply did not hear the Headmaster advise you to inform Madam Pomfrey if you were leaving the ward? As a result, we have been on a wild goose chase trying to find you for her," Severus stepped very close now, realizing that Harry had grown a few inches, but he was still able to look down his nose at the boy and make him feel very small.

Harry felt his cheeks redden as he shuffled his feet, trying to back up away from the imposing man, but his legs hit the turret ledge behind him, stopping him quickly, "I forgot, it wasn't exactly the thing on the top of my mind, _professor_." Harry felt his stomach tighten, however, when he smelled the fire whiskey on Severus' breath, his breathing hitching for a moment as he tried not to panic. In his experience, it had never paid to be cheeky towards someone who was drunk.

Severus' eyes narrowed as he took in the subtle tensing of the boy's body, as though he were bracing himself to be hit. He also noticed the way Harry's breathing changed and the flash of panicked fear in his eyes. He was not sure what was causing it, but he certainly did not want to terrify the boy, just instill the habit of thinking before acting in him. "If you are done, Potter, we will return you to Madam Pomfrey," he muttered softly, his right hand moving lightly to brush a strand of his hair from his face.

Harry was thrown off by the lack of hostility in the man's statement, as he seemed to all but ignore Harry's cheeky comment. But his instincts and adrenaline were still flying high and when Severus raised his hand, however unthreatening and controlled the action was, Harry squeaked and lost his footing as he tried to shuffle out of the way of the blow he assumed to be coming. His legs encountered the ledge once more and his moment sent him backwards, sending him toppling dangerously close to the edge of the tower.

Severus' shocked mind only needed a split second to react before both hands shot out to catch the boy as he fell. Instinctively he pulled him away from the edge and back several feet as the shaky boy clung to him with glazed-over eyes, breathing harder than normal. Severus stood stock-still, his mind reeling as he gently held the boy as he clung as though Severus was his only lifeline. Harry buried his face on Snape's shoulder once he got his wits back, forcing tears back as he swallowed hard a few times. He was still shaking like a leaf, had gone quite pale, and did not loosen his grip on Severus' robes yet. When he spoke, Severus had to strain to hear him and to keep from snapping about looking at whom he was speaking to. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, I'm sorry. Let's go back, I don't want to be up here anymore," Harry mumbled into the fabric of the man's robes.

Severus felt an odd surge of emotion hit him at the boy's panicked and begging words and after a lengthy internal debate, he gently raised one hand from Harry's back where it was holding him, to gently stroke over the back of the boy's head. Harry jerked lightly, but Severus' steady hold on him stilled him after a moment and he closed his eyes, simply enjoying the physical contact. He took a deep breath, noting that the man smelled like a mix of cinnamon, cloves and sandalwood, quite a calming combination.

He clung to him until the man shifted and let his hand fall from Harry's head to his shoulder and he gently pulled the boy back a bit, "Alright now?" At Harry's jerky, but calmer nod, he gave what would be considered a half-smile, though it still looked a bit like a grimace as he pulled away from the boy gently. "Let us go back to the infirmary before Poppy puts out warrants for both of us. We can talk there, if you like," he silkily spoke. Harry looked a bit like a deer-in-headlights at the fact that Severus was being rather gentle with him, but he nodded and walked shakily beside the man and out of the tower.

It was a short trip back to the infirmary and the two men walked in silence, though not a completely awkward one, both thinking that there was possibly hope for them after all.

* * *

"WHERE - HAVE - YOU - BEEN!" Madam Pomfrey screeched, doing a fair impression of Molly Weasley as she stalked towards Harry and Severus when they entered the Infirmary ward. Harry took an instinctive step back and flinched, which Severus noted as he stepped forward to appease the woman. 

"We were in the Astronomy Tower. Once I had assured he was not hurt, I brought him here, obviously," he spoke smoothly, glancing back at Harry before looking back to the Headmaster who was eyeing them appraisingly. The old codger knew everything, Snape noted with a sneer of disdain on his face. This only caused the elderly man to smile and step forward.

"Splendid my boy, I knew everyone would get back here in one piece. Hagrid flooed a few moments ago to make his report of the grounds and I myself only got here a few minutes ago," he spoke jovially as Madam Pomfrey reaccosted her patient, ushering him back into bed as she ran diagnostics on him, muttering about taking a sprint around the castle and over-exerting himself.

Harry was pink in the face as he was poked and prodded with the woman's wand, "Hagrid was helping look for me?"

"Yes my boy, all of us were aside from Madam Pomfrey, who stayed behind in case you came back on your own," Dumbledore explained without any hint of accusation in his tone. "I take it you had an enlightening walk?" Harry proceeded to blush bright crimson as he thought about what had all happened while he was out and could only nod as he hesitantly glanced at Severus who had a mask of perfect blankness on his face, giving no hints as to what he was thinking or feeling.

"Well! I want you to eat this full tray of food, young man, and then it's off to sleep with you!" Madam Pomfrey jumped in, setting a vial of dreamless sleeping potion on the bed table next to a tray of food. Harry muttered a soft "yes, ma'am" and with a subdued attitude, he dutifully began to eat.

"Seeing as how she's putting you back to bed, I shall come by tomorrow if you would like, so that we can have a talk, Pot--er, Harry," Severus spoke up, resolutely ignoring the look on the Headmaster's face as though Christmas had come early, or the old coot had been given free run of a candy store.

Harry swallowed his mouthful before replying, not wanting to appear insolent or rude at this point, "Yes sir that would be fine. We do have quite a bit to talk about…" He finished quietly and his eyes stayed focused on his tray as he resumed eating.

"Well then, I shall see you when you wake," Severus replied crisply, stalking out of the Infirmary. Dumbledore smiled to Harry, patting his shoulder before following the surely Professor out.

Madam Pomfrey hmphed and went back to her office after telling Harry in no uncertain terms that he was to eat everything and set the tray back on the table when done, then he was to get some sleep and rest. Harry nodded and stared at his tray, his thoughts now focused on his father.


	10. Chapter 10

"Severus!" Dumbledore called in almost a singsong voice as he caught up with the professor who had been hurrying away from the Infirmary. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced to his older friend.

"Yes, Albus? I had hoped to retrieve a hangover potion now that I am free from Potter-duty," he snapped, his headache coming back in full. Dumbledore gently grasped his arm and led him towards his office.

"I have some in my liquor cabinet, Severus, we do need to discuss what happened with Harry though, so if you will come with me," Dumbledore explained, not giving the professor a choice. They both walked swiftly to the gargoyle, which sprung out of the Headmaster's way and proceeded up the stairs to the office. Severus sat heavily in one of the chairs, lack of sleep after receiving the letter catching up with him.

Dumbledore shuffled to his liquor cabinet in the back of his office, away from prying student eyes, and unlocked it with his wand, pulling out one of the hangover potions from the bottom. He locked the cabinet once more, moving back to the dark-haired man and gave him the vial. He leaned against the side of his desk as his companion downed the potion and he gave him a few moments for it to take effect. Once the tension had left Severus' face, he smiled softly, "My boy, what happened?"

Severus examined the empty vial as though it were the most interesting thing in the world, "He was in the Astronomy Tower, sitting on one of the ledges. He seemed all right, though his face was tear-stained and he was obviously afraid when the door slammed open on accident. I got closer to make sure he was unharmed and went to brush hair from my face, you know how the wind up there is, and that's when things became…odd."

He looked up at the concerned expression on Dumbledore's face and the man nodded his encouragement for the man to go on, "He was tense, practically radiating fear when I was close. When my hand rose, he must have thought that I was going to hit him. He tried to pull out of the way and tripped on the ledge, nearly toppling over the edge. I caught him as he fell and we backed away from the edge. He clung to me as though I were his only line to life. He was shaking like a leaf, paler than he should be and was begging me to take him out of the tower and apologizing repeatedly. Once his panic attack passed, I brought him back to the Infirmary."

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose once more as he rested his elbow on the armrest of the chair, "Those muggles have damaged him and I am not sure how well I will be able to piece him back together, my son or not." At the look on Dumbledore's face, he held up a hand to forestall arguments, "I will try, Albus, but he was abused for years with no one to confide in, we will not know what damage is permanent for quite a while."

Albus nodded and leaned forward to gently squeeze the man's shoulders, "I am very proud of you Severus, as your mother would be. You are handling this very well and I have confidence in your abilities to handle Harry. Now for the boy's living arrangements, he obviously will not go back to his Aunt and Uncle. I would like for him to be housed near you, however I do know how often Draco visits you during the holidays. What are your thoughts on this?"

Severus thought about his godson and how he would react to the new situation and where he would like the boy to stay before admitting grudgingly, "Near me would be ideal for the boy, my guestroom probably. As for Draco, once I am summoned to the Dark Lord, I can tell him that you entrusted me with his care. It would get me a spot closer to Him and reinforce his trust in me. Draco would find out then about it, so I can use that as my reasoning for having Pot--Harry at hand. It is doable." Dumbledore considered the proposal carefully and nodded after a few moments.

"I believe that your plan is acceptable, but if Voldemort requests that you bring him the boy, you will HAVE to abandon your post as spy. Harry will need you more now as a father, than we will need you as a spy. We will manage, if you are forced to retire from the post," he replied, gently squeezing Severus' shoulders to let him know that any arguing on the matter of his spying would not be listened to.

Severus gritted his teeth and nodded lightly, "Very well, Albus, I shall attempt to make the boy my first priority. I am going to the Infirmary tomorrow to discuss Lily's letters with him. As for the muggles, what will happen to them?"

"I am not sure yet, my boy. It would be ideal to charge them and possibly get them sent to Azkaban, however it would be made public and I am not sure I would want to put him through that," he replied with a frown. "In addition, the ministry would then attempt to control his custody and where he went and your relation to him would possibly be made public in the process if we attempted to give you legal custody. But we will face that hurdle when we come to it." He smiled mischievously and the twinkling was back full force in his eyes, "There are benefits to being regarded so highly by the ministry. If we have to push to get you full custody, I will do all I can to keep it quiet and involvement limited to Ministry officials in the order."

Severus nodded his acceptance of the plan, but was unable to respond as he sucked in a harsh breath through gritted teeth, his hand moving to grip his left forearm tightly. He looked up at Dumbledore and nodded in answer to his unasked question. He pulled Lily's letter from his pocket, setting it on Dumbledore's desk as the man went to the safe behind his desk and opened it, pulling out the mask and robes. He passed them to the man as well as the pendant that served as a portkey to take him wherever Voldemort was summoning. Once he donned the robes, hood, and mask he took the pendant, nodding to Dumbledore, "Our plan goes into effect tonight." Dumbledore nodded and the man activated the pendant around his neck, disappearing from the office.

"Good luck, my boy," Dumbledore whispered to the silent office.

* * *

Severus caught himself gracefully as he landed in a dew-covered field and sensed the wards around him. Notice-me-nots and barrier wards to keep nosy people out. He looked around at the very small crowd that had gathered and got his first glimpse of Voldemort.

"Ahhh, Severus, I am amazed you came," the man hissed as the Potions Master bowed.

"My lord, forgive me for my absence at your first calling, it would have raised Dumbledore's suspicions," he explained quickly, staying bowed low.

"And why should I trust your excuse? You are a Slytherin after all. Give me a reason to believe you," Voldemort spoke, stepping closer to the bowed man, wand raised threateningly in case he wished to punish the man.

"My lord, he has become very trusting of me and I did not wish to ruin that, especially when I realized you had returned. As of the events at the Tournament, he has given me custody of Potter," he spat the name as thought it were diseased, "and the boy is currently living with me," Severus explained quickly, holding his breath as he waited to see the result of his words. All other death eaters had gone silent, the previous snickering at his situation having stopped.

Voldemort lowered his wand and reached out to pull the man back to standing fully and smiled wickedly, "Is that correct? Well, that is very good news indeed, and as the bearer of good news, I forgive you for your earlier absenteeism. I trust you are trying to gain the favor of the boy and his trust?" Severus nodded at this, watching Voldemort closely, his mind carefully closed and expression carefully blank. "Good, good. My orders to you then, are simple, gain the boy's trust, become a father figure toward him if you can. Once I figure out the best way to get him out of the old man's grasp, then you will become key to bringing him to me. Are you clear on your orders?"

"Yes, my lord, I thank you for your trust in such an important task," he replied, puffing up proudly like a Malfoy, his eyes glancing over the others who had gathered. He was easily able to identify nearly everyone and made a quick mental list of the names to review with Dumbledore later. Voldemort nodded and stepped away from the Potions Master and proceeded on with his meeting, completely unaware that the Boy-Who-Lived was caught in the throws of his first nightmarish vision, having witnessed the exchange between Voldemort and Severus through Voldemort's eyes. The boy remained trapped in the Dark Lord's mind for the duration of the entire meeting, feeling the pain of those few muggles who were unfortunate enough to find themselves there, as well as the Death Eaters who had displeased their lord.

* * *

Once the vision was over and Severus returned to make his report to Dumbledore, Harry relaxed back into his normal nightmares of the Triwizard tournament and, as of late, Sirius and Remus's reactions to the new changes in Harry's life. He remained blissfully unaware of Madam Pomfrey trying frantically to wake him up, as the sleeping potion kept him asleep even after the vision. She had become worried when he became pale and covered in sweat and began shaking and thrashing as if under the cruciatus curse. Unable to awake him, she ran to her office, summoning the two men in Dumbledore's office to help her wake the boy or at least figure out what was happening to him. 


	11. Chapter 11

Dumbledore looked up at Madam Pomfrey's head glowing green from his fireplace and got to his feet when he noticed the near-panicked look on her face, "What is it Poppy?" Severus, who had been putting his mask and robes away after giving his report to the man, turned to look at the woman, his body tensing a bit.

"It's Potter! He was having some sort of fit. He was thrashing, shaking, and screaming as though under the cruciatus curse a little bit ago, but now, he is still except for the shaking, and I cannot wake him. Severus, I'm glad you're there as well, I need you to bring the antidote to the sleeping draught I gave him earlier; it wasn't draught of living death or dreamless sleep, just the basic sleeper," she explained the entire situation in a rush and moved out of the way as the two men stepped towards the floo. Dumbledore stepped out of the infirmary quickly and both he and Pomfrey moved to Harry's bed, awaiting the arrival of Severus.

Severus moved as quickly as he could, grabbing the correct antidote from one of his personal cupboards and moved back to the floo, arriving at the Infirmary in record time. He moved out of the office and over to where the others had gathered, holding out the vial to Madam Pomfrey.

To say that Harry's current state was shocking would be a vast understatement. The boy had gone almost the deathly shade of grey that he had been just a few days before; his entire body was shaking steadily, his limbs occasionally jerking. He was tossing in his sleep, muttering; the only words Severus managed to catch were "Cedric, leave him alone, Sirius and Remus". That certainly did not bode well for the boy's current sleeping habits.

Madam Pomfrey moved quickly, propping the boy's head up and gently coaxed the potion down his throat. The boy coughed briefly before relaxing once more, his eyes cracking open experimentally after just a few moments. He cleared his voice and tried to speak, but his throat was dry and sore. She quickly conjured a glass of water for him, helping him drink before he relaxed once more, the color starting to come back to his face as he looked at those who were around his bed.

"What happened Harry? Madam Pomfrey said you looked to be under the cruciatus and then you went still," Dumbledore prompted gently, but urgently.

After a moment of consideration, Harry replied softly, "It was Voldemort…in my dream. It was like I was inside his head, seeing everything he saw, feeling what he felt. In the dream, he was holding a meeting with his Death Eaters, and Snape was there." When he saw the meaningful exchange of glances between Dumbledore and Severus, he narrowed his eyes, looking at Severus, "It was real, wasn't it? You were there tonight. You told him I'd be living with you so you could get close to me for him!" His voice was full of confusion, betrayal and accusation.

Severus cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes and sat on the bed next to the now very tense boy. He leaned in, placing his hands slowly on the boy's shoulders and pushed him back against the pillows as he leaned in, "Would you have preferred me to spill to him that I am your father? Would you have preferred to witness him slaughtering me so that you would be hurt? Would you have preferred the Dark Lord and his followers being privy to information that you yourself have barely come to terms with?" His silky voice stayed steady, only rising in volume slightly as the boy flinched when he started speaking.

"I discussed the situation with the Headmaster beforehand, as I am a spy for him, which I know you are aware of, and we agreed on my cover story. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you say so rather than making accusations about something which you know nothing of!" Severus finished, releasing the boy and standing once more, arms crossed before his chest.

Harry gaped at him for several minutes, Severus smirking at his impression of a goldfish before telling the boy to close his mouth before he started catching flies. "I--you--oh…" was all he managed to articulate before he blushed a brilliant crimson and turned his eyes to the blanket as though it were the most interesting thing in the world. "Then I'll be living with you?" He asked softly, glancing up only enough to see Severus nod before he looked back to the blanket.

Dumbledore, who had been silent until now smiled and spoke up, "Harry, I believe I may have figured out what happened tonight, but if I am correct than we need to act quickly to remedy the situation before Voldemort becomes aware of it." Once he had the boy's full attention, as well as Severus' he explained. "I believe you had what we can call a Vision. You were indeed in Voldemort's mind, as it were, though I do not believe he was aware of it. Am I correct in assuming that you felt the spells he cast on others, particularly the cruciatus, as though it were cast on you?"

At Harry's thoughtful nod, he continued, "I believe the ritual at the end of last year has inadvertently given you that connection, due to your scar-bound connection to him. Now, once he becomes aware of it, he could attempt to possess you or force information out of your mind. Given all that you know, we cannot afford for that to happen. Therefore, once Harry moves to your quarters, Severus, I ask that you begin to teach him occlumency." Severus looked startled for a moment at that request, looking at Harry for a moment as the boy looked at him curiously before nodding his agreement.

"Splendid. Now that we have all of that settled, perhaps we should allow Harry a bit more rest. I believe Severus could use some sleep as well," he concluded, eyes twinkling.

"Sir, what is occlumency?" Harry asked, trying to forestall his return to his nightmares.

"All in due time, Harry. Just know that it will help you close your mind to Voldemort," he explained patiently, patting the boy affectionately on the head for a moment.

Before Severus could leave, however, Poppy stepped in front of him, arms crossed. "You were summoned tonight, you know the drill. Into a bed with you!" Severus gritted his teeth and glared at the woman.

"I was not punished, Madam, therefore I see no reason to have to stay," he ground out, but the woman simply pulled out her wand and herded him to the bed next to Harry. She changed his clothes to the standard pajamas, doing the same for Harry as he was still in his robes from earlier, and ushered him into bed.

"Punished or not, I know you drink after meetings rather than sleep as you should," she sniped back, not realizing that her words caused Harry to pale a bit. She retreated to a cabinet, pulling out two dreamless sleep vials and passed one to each of her charges. Dumbledore simply smiled, waved and quickly slipped out of the infirmary without the notice of the three who were having a glaring contest; two with each other, the third with his blanket.

"This is ridiculous, Poppy, I am fine," Severus attempted, staring at the vial as though it would bite.

She simply hmphed and glared back at the man, "I will be the judge of that. You are going to get at least one night of good sleep. Now no more arguing, or I will make you stay for a week. As for you, young man, drink that potion."

Harry looked ready to argue, his face looking rather pinched and pale as he thought of his nightmares, "But what if I--" Poppy shook her head, patting his shoulder.

"It will be fine, Harry, I will be able to wake you from this potion if necessary and it will keep you from dreaming," she soothed, running a few fingers through his longer hair.

Both men glanced at each other, sharing a slight smirk at the woman's domineering behavior before they both kicked the potion back in a similar fashion. With that, she collected the vials and left them to settle in for a peaceful sleep for once.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for not updating yet, I am currently working full time and taking a day or two off from writing to gather more ideas for where this fic is going, I will be updating by the end of the week however, so sit tight.**


	12. Chapter 12

"You have to concentrate, Potter!" Severus snapped, irritated with the boy's seeming lack of effort in their current task. It had been two days since they had both stayed in the hospital wing after Severus' meeting with Voldemort and Harry had finally been released from the hospital wing and had since officially moved into Severus' quarters in the dungeons. They were currently attempting to get Harry to block his mind against Severus' mental attacks. Attempting being the keyword; to say it was going badly would be a mild understatement.

"Maybe if you'd stop snapping and yelling at me, I'd actually manage to get it, _sir_!" Harry spat back, his scar hurting from the mental advances and body aching from becoming acquainted with the floor repeatedly. He rubbed his scar, glaring at the floor and leaned against the wall behind him for a moment. Severus sighed, trying to push his frustration out (and failing miserably in the process) as he glanced at the clock.

"Let's take a break for lunch, Potter, and then we can try again," he finally spoke, taking in the weary stance of the boy as he beckoned him to follow out of their quarters. They made their way silently down the hall, Harry following behind Severus, glaring at the man as he occasionally pushed and rubbed his scar, trying to get the ache to leave. "Potter, I don't appreciate having you try to burn a hole in the back of my head with your glaring," Severus spoke smoothly, never having to look back to know what the boy was doing.

Harry scowled, nearly made an indecent gesture at Severus behind his back, but thought against it at the last moment. Snape could seemingly see out of the back of his head when he chose to. He instead dropped his eyes to the floor and continued to glare there. "Would you stop calling me Potter? If we're supposed to try to get along, that'd be a start," Harry finally spoke up, glancing at Severus and stopping as he did. He fought to keep from shrinking back as the man turned his dark gaze to Harry and gave him an once-over.

Severus managed to keep a sneer off his face as he looked over the boy, taking in the nervous posture as he realized that the boy had to gather courage to even speak that much to him. "I can try, but I don't promise anything," he replied, not mentioning that the boy could call him anything other than Professor or sir. _He is going to have to earn his freedoms and liberties with me, not like the mollycoddling he gets from Albus,_ he thought smugly to himself, congratulating himself on handling the situation without snapping at the boy.

Harry narrowed his eyes and followed the now walking figure ahead of him, "And what should I call you?" He froze as the man whirled around and shuffled back a few steps instinctively, biting his inner lip as he dropped his eyes for a moment, before forcing him to look back at the man. _Merlin, I'm being ridiculous, he's not going to hit me. Is he? He hasn't yet, but I haven't had to live with him before,_ he thought to himself, his body going tense once more.

Severus smirked, ignoring the moment of tense fear that flashed over Harry's face, "You may call me Professor, Professor Snape, or sir; as always. Now if you're done asking self-explanatory questions, Pot--Harry, shall we make it to lunch before it is over?" Harry blushed crimson and nodded, quickly following Severus into the Great Hall.

"Ah good, I was hoping I wouldn't have to send a search party to find you both for lunch," Dumbledore spoke up, watching the two with an amused expression as they entered the Hall. Twin glares that showed just how much the two were related, especially with Harry's slowly changing appearance, met him and he chuckled quietly to himself.

"Our lessons took longer than I had anticipated," Severus replied, shooting Harry a look as he stood. The boy stood at the end of the table uncertainly, eyeing the few people present and the seats. "Well, Potter, are you going to eat?" Severus snapped, staring pointedly at the boy. Harry blushed and quickly moved to the seat between Hagrid and Snape, the only one that remained open, and quickly began filling his plate.

"Now now, Severus, lunch at Hogwarts during the summer is a new experience for Harry. We cannot assume he knows how to act," Albus gently chastised. "How are you settling into your new rooms, Harry?"

Harry looked up, shifting uncomfortably in his seat as everyone's attention but Severus' (as far as he could tell) was on him.

"Oh, um, they're fine. Cozy for the dungeons," he replied quietly, unsure exactly how to respond. He had only moved in that morning after breakfast, at which time Severus gave him a short tour of their quarters and they dove directly into occlumency lessons.

"Good, good. I hope that Severus is not working you too hard? Occlumency can be very difficult to understand at first," Dumbledore replied, watching with amusement the glare that Harry shot at Snape and the glare that Snape in turn sent towards Dumbledore.

"It wouldn't be so hard if the boy actually tried!" Severus growled with frustration, not noticing the flinch his tone caused in the boy. Harry shifted uncomfortably, watching the man take a sip of what Harry figured out was red wine. Harry blanched briefly, turning his full attention on his food rather than responding.

"Come now, I'm sure he is trying, Severus. Not everyone can pick such a skill up as easily as you did," Dumbledore replied, watching the boy intently, wondering at his reactions to Severus, particularly when the man took a sip of his drink. He decided to tuck that bit of information away for later, when he could ask Harry without an audience.

As Severus and Dumbledore continued to bicker at Harry's apparent lack of progress in his lessons, Hagrid gently rested his hand on Harry's arm to gather his attention, his hand nearly covering the boy's entire forearm. "How're ya 'arry? Haven' had a chance ter see ya yet," he spoke lowly, watching the boy's pale, drawn face as he looked up at the half-giant. He was relieved to see a small smile break through Harry's tense features and Harry was appreciative of the distraction.

"I'm alright Hagrid, sorry to have made you try to find me the other day," Harry replied quietly, his smile fading and his eyes going back to his food.

"Oh, it wer' no problem, 'arry," he replied with a smile, patting the boy's shoulder. "If ya need to come see me, you come right down to me hut, we can have a cuppa if you be wantin'," he replied, releasing his hand from the boy, as he seemed to become tenser with each passing moment of contact.

Harry looked up and smiled what he hoped was in a reassuring way, "I will, Hagrid, thanks." The rest of the meal passed in a companionable silence for those at the table, with only the random comment being spoken between the occupants. After lunch was over, Harry and Severus returned to their rooms.

* * *

Harry squared himself and looked at Severus, appearing braver than he felt and asked, "Sir, I was wondering if I could write to my friends and let them know what was going on. They're likely to get worried since I haven't been writing, and if you don't want a gaggle of Weasleys breaking down your door, I suggest we let them know something." 

Severus stared at Harry intensely, mentally weighing the options of his request. If he granted it, the owl could be intercepted, but as Voldemort already knew that Harry was living with him, it was not that important. If he refused the request, the boy would sulk and become even more difficult to manage. "You may inform them of where you are staying, and with whom, if you wish. Beyond that, I would not trust your owl to not be intercepted by less than friendly individuals. Should you wish to tell them more, particularly why you are here and why you are with me, I suggest you plan a time to meet with them, not in our quarters, and tell them then."

Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you, sir," he replied. "Can I write that now, or were you planning on having us do something?" Harry looked at the man, shifting uncomfortably under Severus' gaze, remembering that the man had consumed alcohol at lunch, no matter how little or weak it had been. Despite his size, Vernon was very quick to become drunk and was very quick to become violent as a result; Harry certainly was not going to take any chances.

"Yes, Potter, you may write to them now and send them with school owls, yours is too easy to recognize. While you do that, I will find one of the books I used when learning occlumency for you to read, seeing as how we are not getting anywhere with your lessons. You will be reading and taking notes from the book until dinner after you write your letters. We will resume our lessons once you have read the book and composed acceptable notes on the subject; not like the drivel you turn in to class.

"In addition to that, you will not be allowed to meet your friends, nor Hagrid, until you are at least halfway done with the book. I will not have you waste my time while you pretend to read. You may fire-talk your friends from these rooms, but I will not have the peace of my quarters broken by an invasion of Gryffindors," Severus explained, crossing his arms and staring at the boy in a commanding way.

Harry's jaw dropped as he stared at Severus, "That's not fair! For all I know, it could be a 1000-page book and take me the rest of the summer to get halfway through!" He glared at the man, imitating his stance as he crossed his arms.

"Hm, well I suppose I'm lucky that no one ever mentioned that things had to be fair, aren't I? You are living with me now, Po--Harry. I will not coddle and spoil you like the Weasleys and Albus; you are going to earn your freedoms while you live with me. And before you throw a fit, I can do so because I'm your father," Severus smirked triumphantly, knowing the boy could not argue with that.

Harry's glare intensified to the point that he did the Snape-family name proud and he clenched his teeth, "Fine, have it your way. I'll be going to write to my friends now." With that, he did not wait to be dismissed before he stormed out of the sitting room and into his private bedroom, closing the door behind him with a bang.

Severus allowed himself to break into a full grin after the boy had left, thinking that there may indeed be benefits to being the boy's father; least of all his newfound legitimate control over the boy's life. He smirked to himself at that thought and went to his own rooms to dig out the book for Harry.

* * *

_Dear Hermione,_

_Sorry I haven't written, this summer has been insane. The Dursleys turned on me (more details later), and now I'm living at Hogwarts with Snape of all people. Can't give more details here; apparently, owls are being intercepted sometimes. You, Ron and I can meet sometime once I'm halfway through an assignment for Snape (Honestly, he's worse during the summer!). Maybe when we all go to get our supplies for next year? Write back when you can, Snape says I can fire talk with you when I want, so if you want to do that, just let me know. _

_-Harry_

He wrote out a similar letter to Ron afterwards and smiled to himself. Insane barely began to describe his summer and he only hoped that he would get to see his friends soon. His door opened and he looked up as he cast sealing charms on the letters, eyeing Severus warily as he stood in the doorway. He stood from his desk, letters in hand, as the man strode to him, a semi-thick tome in his hands that was at least 50 years old. Definitely not as thick as he feared, though, for which he was relieved.

"Can you owl these for me, sir? I'd like to get started on your _assignment_," he made a face as he said the word, though quickly swallowed his expression and tone as he remembered he was trying to get Snape to do something for him.

Severus fought a smirk and managed to keep his expression neutral, taking the letters in exchange for the book, "I suppose I could manage that task for you. I will call you for dinner." With that, he strode out of the room, closing the door behind him, a smirk reaching his face as he heard Harry call behind him "I'll know if you read those!" He shook his head and looked at the scrolls in his hands briefly before heading towards the owlry.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry groaned tiredly, rubbing his forehead absently as he stretched in his seat, wearily eyeing the stack of notes he had already written. If Snape, no his father, was going to make him do extra assignments this summer, he would do his best to irritate the man with overly detailed notes. It helped that the book was quite a bit more helpful in its explanations of occlumency than Snape had been with his "clear your mind!". For starters, explaining what exactly clearing your mind meant.

He had already written about 5 one-foot sheets of parchment in notes already and found himself surprised to find himself almost a quarter into the book already. Severus had called him for dinner about two hours before and they had finally discussed the letters, as they both had been putting it off.

* * *

flashback

They sat quietly in the small dining area of their quarters, forgoing the Great Hall this time, both picking silently at their spaghetti. "I sent off your letters, P--Harry," Severus finally broke the silence, making a conscious effort to call the boy by his first name. Harry looked up, startled at the sudden voice breaking the uncomfortable silence that had descended.

"Oh, uh, thanks," he replied awkwardly, returning to pick at his food, eyeing the man's glass of wine wearily under the fringe of his bangs. _Damn, he's not going to make this easy, is he? _Severus thought to himself in annoyed voice, not want to be the one to broach the topic, but know it would never be discussed if left to the boy.

"Do you have any questions about the letters, Potter? I understand how much information it was to take in, in a short period of time, especially in your weakened state," he started as neutrally as he could, sipping his wine to stifle the small strand of nervousness that tried to creep its way into his stomach. Harry's head jerked up once more and he stared at the man as though he had grown a second head. Once he realized it truly was Snape sitting across from the table at him and basically asking how he was handling things, he looked back at his food.

"I'm not weak, nor was I then," he barely whispered, though Severus managed to catch it in the otherwise silent room. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, hoping to get the boy to continue. "Did you love her? In any way?" He finally asked quietly, looking up with an almost pained expression. Severus stared at him for several moments as though trying to guess what Harry's reaction would be and if he should tell him anything at all. Nevertheless, he HAD asked; he was stuck.

"Yes, Potter…she was my best friend, despite our arguments and my public appearance of hating her for being a Gryffindor and a muggleborn, we were still very close after she became engaged," he replied softly, picking at his own food, but hardly eating any of it.

"So you don't flat out hate Gryffindors?" Harry couldn't help but smirk as he eyed Severus, his eyes glittering with amusement.

Severus scowled and took a long sip of his wine before raising an eyebrow, "Just annoying, arrogant Gryffindors. Unfortunately for you prior to now, that included the man you looked very much like, which I then categorized you as. And don't you argue about Potter, he was an arrogant bully and I was not the only one to think so." Harry had indeed opened his mouth to argue that James had not been what Severus claimed; instead, he closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes, "Think you could prove it?"

Severus stared at Harry with an incredulous look, "How on earth would I prove something like that to you, were I so inclined?" Harry relaxed a bit when he realized that Severus was not angry and was starting to figure out that the man could hold his alcohol as well as his temper.

"I don't know! What about that thingy that Professor Dumbledore showed me last year? A, er, pensieve thing," Harry replied, tripping over his words a bit. He turned to eating, keeping his eyes on the man from under his bangs as he ate about half of his plate in 30 seconds. Severus watched him thoughtfully for a few moments as he contemplated his options. Harry was certainly keeping him on his toes as of late.

"It may be possible to arrange, but I make no promises…Stop eating your food that fast, you'll choke," he replied with a scolding tone, but he became amused as Harry blushed sheepishly and slowed his eating.

"Until you do then, I make no promises in believing you about my fa--James' behavior. But I will trust you on what you say about mum," Harry replied.

Severus pointedly ignored the boy's almost slip-up about James, realizing that it was too soon to expect him to drop everything he had believed about James for several years and decided to change the topic, "How are you coming along with your notes?"

Harry froze and looked at the man, trying to gauge his mood before swallowing the food in his mouth and forming a reply, "The book is…informative, I'm almost a quarter through already and I'm taking lots of notes." Severus nodded and left it at that, returning to his own meal.

End Flashback

* * *

Harry sighed, shaking the memories away as he looked at the clock. Nearly midnight. He stood while stifling a yawn and moved to his bathroom. He brushed his teeth before examining the changes in his appearance in the mirror. He had started tying his hair back at the nape of his neck with a cord to keep it from his face, as it was now to his shoulders, but seemed to have stopped there. It was also streaked with bits of coppery red here and there and wasn't greasy at all, though still very soft.

His eyes had narrowed a bit, though the change was negligible. His cheekbones had become prominent and high, and thankfully, his nose had not changed. His complexion had changed a little, now a bit paler, though not in a sickly way. His hands, fingers and feet had all lengthened, becoming elegantly long and he had grown several inches. Beyond that, he was still the same Harry, though he had taken off his glasses that morning when things proved blurry with them. His eyesight had apparently corrected itself over few days since his birthday without the charms dampening it and he found that charms work had become easier when he did his homework.

He had not tried potions yet, was almost afraid to, as though that would finalize the fact that James was not his father and Severus was. He yawned again and decided it was time for bed, pulling the cord from his hair and setting it on the counter next to his hairbrush. He then changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into. He forced himself to not think of the Dursleys and mentally repeated to himself that Snape was much better than the Dursleys. He soon drifted to sleep, which was unfortunately anything but peaceful.

* * *

Severus sat before the fire in the sitting room of their quarters, sipping a glass of fire whiskey as he contemplated the changes that his life had taken. Draco had written to him after dinner to ask if he could come visit soon and Severus was not sure of Lucius had told him of his charge. Either way, he would not be able to deny his godson for long; he was too fond of him, despite how spoiled the boy was.

He took another sip of his drink before his head jerked up, his eyes landing on the door to Harry's room as he heard a thump. After a moment of straining, he heard the boy moan and yell something. He stood quickly and set his drink down before heading to the boy's room to investigate his distress.


	14. Chapter 14

When Severus stepped into Harry's room, he almost smirked at the slightly comical sight before him, until he realized that Harry was still asleep. Harry had fallen off the bed and become so entangled in his blanket that he was having an all-out battle trying to get out of it. Severus then noticed that the boy also seemed to be having a panic attack as the blanket refused to obey his sleep-motivated movements. He strode to the prone boy and kneeled next to him, working to untangle the boy.

"No, please Uncle Vernon, don't do this again, please let me go…" Harry whimpered in his sleep and his movements became more frantic. Severus frowned, noticing the pinched, frightful look on the boy's face and the random tear that managed to sneak out of the corner of the boy's eyes. He had a put a stop to this, now. He gently grabbed the boy's shoulders, causing the unconscious form to jerk away violently. He gathered the boy into his arms and pulled him to his chest on instinct, holding him tightly as the boy fought against the unseen hold and begged for his uncle to stop.

"Potter…Harry, you are safe, wake up, your uncle isn't here," he kept his voice low and neutral as he watched the boy slowly relax against his chest. The boy had flinched harshly at the use of his last name, despite the tone of voice, so Severus forced himself to switch to his first name. He gently rubbed his lithe fingers along the boy's back, feeling the tension slowly leave him. Finally, the boy gave a last shudder and his eyes blinked open blearily, looking up at the man.

Panic raced across his face and he fought to pull away, which the man allowed after a moment, though he kept his hands on his shoulders to keep him from bolting out of the room. "Professor! I-I'm sorry I woke you, it was nothing really. If you'd like you can put silencing charms on my room so I don't disturb you again you can," he babbled. Severus stared at him hard until the boy stopped his rambling and became quiet, looking at the man with wide eyes, his hands fidgeting with his blanket.

"I will do no such thing, you could have hit your head on the floor when you fell out of bed and I wouldn't have known till morning that you were injured if there were silencing charms up. You are not allowed to put up the charms either, I would rather know if something were wrong. Furthermore, I was not asleep; I was in the sitting room. Now calm yourself or I will have to give you a calming potion. Are you hurt?" Severus replied sharply, his words becoming softer as he went on, not wanting to frighten the boy.

Harry shook his head no, forcing himself to breathe in deeply through his nose, until he caught the scent of alcohol. "You've been drinking?" He squeaked before he could stop himself. He slapped a hand over his mouth immediately, wide-eyed and looking at Severus as though he were a bomb ready to explode. His other hand worked frantically to free him from the blanket as the hands on his shoulders tightened fractionally, as though Severus knew he was planning to bolt.

Severus eyed Harry thoughtfully, watching the boy's reactions to his own statement and tightened his hold on the boy, as he looked ready to run for it. "I had a bit of fire whiskey, yes, though you needn't concern yourself, I can hold my liquor well and I am not a violent drunk, despite what you may think of me," he explained gently, hoping to ease the boy's fear with his guess of what was wrong.

Harry stiffened as Severus hit the proverbial nail on the head and he eyed the man warily, slowly lowering his hand, "You're not mad?" Severus furrowed his brow and shook his head, gently loosening his hold on the boy.

"Even if I was mad, Harry, have you ever known me to physically punish a student? I may make you scrub cauldrons or write essays for me if you make me angry, but I will never strike you in any way. On that, I give you my Wizard's Oath," he replied in such a sincere way that Harry knew instinctively that he could trust the man's promise. Plus it sounded as though a Wizard's Oath was serious, even if he wasn't sure what one was, and figured that the man would not give one lightly.

Harry relaxed a bit more under the man's gentle grip and nodded his understanding, eyeing the blanket now as though it were the most interesting thing in the world. "What DO you consider proper punishment for me, not as your student, but your…er, son." He was afraid to ask, and gripped the blanket so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"I will answer your question, but perhaps we should get off the floor first?" Severus replied with a bemused tone and helped the boy disentangle from his blanket and stand, both moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "As for punishments, I rather like the punishments I come up with for students. If you happen to anger me, you will likely find yourself preparing ingredients without gloves, cleaning cauldrons, cleaning classrooms and storerooms, reorganizing and relabeling ingredients, that sort of thing. What sort of punishments are you used to?" He hesitated to ask, but was curious to find out why it was an issue with the boy.

"Oh, um, I was actually afraid you'd have me expelled or something," Harry replied with a slightly sheepish look. At Severus' amused but probing expression, he blushed and continued softly, "Normally I'm used to meals being withheld, and being locked in my room, that sort of thing. That's why there were bars on the window of my room. When I slept in the cupboard under the stairs, they didn't worry about me running off, since there weren't any windows, but when I was given Dudley's second bedroom, they put bars on my window during the summer before my second year. Ron and the twins had to rescue me by breaking the chains off with their flying car. He put the bars back on this summer," he rambled once more, not noticing the horrified look that crossed Severus' face as the man realized that the cupboard had been Harry's bedroom and that his own room was still called his cousin's second bedroom, as well as the fact that the Weasleys had to forcibly remove him. His expression quickly tightened back into being carefully concealed before the boy saw it.

"I will not withhold meals; Poppy would have my head, as you are too skinny as it is. I will not lock you in your room, either, as that is something your…relatives did. I may order you at times to not leave our quarters, but I will not physically restrain you," he replied gently, his fingertips coming to tap lightly on the still fading belt marks on the boy's wrists from when he had been restrained. When the boy's hand fidgeted, he pulled his hand from the mark and used it to lift the boy's head by his chin so that he could look at his face, only keeping his hand there until he was sure the boy would not look back down. "If I do something that frightens you or makes you uncomfortable, as those muggles did, tell me. I will not have you frightened of me, outside of class.

Speaking of class, I am not entirely sure right now how I will be able to treat you. The children of Death Eater's have been one of the reasons I have treated you poorly in general, not to mention your previous looks. But since Voldemort expects me to get close to you and try to become a father-figure to you, my behavior towards you may improve a bit, though you're still a Gryffindor," he sniffed that last bit and looked haughty, causing Harry to snort in amusement, with a slight smile.

Severus was glad to see the smile, as it meant that the boy was recovering and becoming a bit more comfortable with him, "Though I must warn you, Draco is my godson and he normally comes to stay with me during the summer at some point, and the plans are in the making for him to come soon. He will know either through Lucius or through me that you are staying with me, but with your current appearance changes, he will not recognize you as Harry Potter. He will push the matter and do as much investigation as he can into the subject until he learns the truth. What would you have us do?" He was trying to be as diplomatic as possible, given the bad relationship between the two boys and the fragile relationship between himself and the boy.

Indeed, Harry looked like he had swallowed a toad. "He's going to be here? With us? Oh bloody hell, he's going to figure it out," he groaned lightly, rubbing his face tiredly into his hands.

"If you'd like, we can attempt to put a temporary glamour on you or else let him see your true face and decide things on his own. I can swear him into silence with a charmso that if he figures it out, he cannot go blabbing to his parents or friends," Severus added. Harry looked up with a slightly surprised look and appeared to be thinking hard and fast before slowly nodding.

"I don't want any glamours on again if I can help it; we can leave it and just keep him quiet if he finds out. Either way it should be…amusing, when he sees me. What if he asks about why I'm here and not at my relatives'?" He asked worriedly.

"If that happens, it will be up to you what he finds out. If by change, he does come to know the truth about the muggles, I can silence him on that as well in the same manner, all it takes is a simple charm," Severus replied easily, working slowly to coax the boy back into bed as they spoke. Once the boy was properly tucked in, (he ignored the singsong voice of Dumbledore in his head chanting "mother hen") he withdrew a vial of dreamless sleep from his robes and passed it to the boy with an explanation of what it was.

Harry took the potion gratefully and downed it in one go, passing the vial back to him and settling back into the comfortable bed. "My friends are going to freak when they hear who I'll be staying with," he spoke in a tired but amused voice. Severus smirked and nodded, patting the boy on the head.

"We shall talk more in the morning, goodnight Harry," he said as he walked out of the room, gently shutting the door behind him. That done, he made his way to his own bedroom, his whiskey forgotten and climbed into bed still in his robes. He fell asleep quickly, his dreams of what he would do to the muggles back with a renewed vigor, with bits of Harry and Draco sprinkled in.

* * *

A/N: Not to worry, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus and Draco will all make an appearance on the scene soon and the situation with the Dursleys will be addressed. Now, a slight poll for all of you about the Dursleys: Should they be arrested formally and all that wonderful trial stuff, or should Severus report his "findings" to Voldemort (with Dumbledore's knowledge, if not consent) and have Voldemort and his followers properly take care of Harry's _loving _family? Do let me know ;) 


	15. Chapter 15

Dumbledore smiled as he sat at his desk, his mind briefly playing over the events involving Severus and Harry. By no means was the situation perfect, far from it, but it was working however fragile it was. And now Draco was coming to visit. Naturally, soon after word of his visit came, his request to strengthen the wards of the castle came back approved. Lucius, no doubt, did not intend to risk his son during his visit. Dumbledore had just finished strengthening all of the wards with the assistance of a grumbling Severus while Harry was allowed to visit Hagrid. Dumbledore had to play a few word games with Severus to get him to allow the visit, since Harry was just under halfway done with the book he was assigned, but the volume of notes the boy had taken had convinced him to allow him to see Hagrid.

Now Dumbledore was back in his office with his beloved lemon drops and Harry and Severus were back in their quarters discussing Draco's pending arrival later that day. Things, it seemed, were finally working out. He had little worry about Draco, even though he seemed to be becoming like his father, Dumbledore always held out hope for the best of people.

* * *

"So how are we going to do this again?" Harry asked, fidgeting nervously with his robes, watching as Severus straightened a newly added guestroom for Draco, who would be arriving by floo into Dumbledore's office soon and then would floo to Severus'. Harry was anxious to say the least, his least favorite classmate was coming to stay with them for two weeks and it would end with a trip to Diagon Ally for the three of them for their school supplies.

"He is going to arrive, I will inform him that you are Harry Potter and we shall go from there. It relies on how he reacts and how much information you feel like giving him," Severus replied easily, finishing his straightening of the bedding before leaving the room and watched Harry fidget with amusement. "Nervous, P--Harry?"

Harry shot him a dirty look and let his hands drop from his robes as he took a seat at the dining table to keep from pacing. After a moment, he had to grip the table to keep from falling from his seat as the fireplace spat out a rather disgruntled looking Draco. He straightened himself quickly and stood, eyeing his peer warily, though curiously.

"Bloody floo. Can't wait till I can apparate," Draco announced as he dusted soot off himself, looking up at Severus with a wry grin. Though he wasn't short now, a growth spurt had hit and he was eye-level with Severus. He was still lithe as ever, though there was a bit of muscle tone that could be seen through his tailored clothing.

"Good to see you Draco, I trust the floo was no worse than usual?" Severus asked casually, helping brush soot off his shoulders.

"No, not worse, just annoying," he muttered in reply, finally looking up at Harry who was standing nervously by the table. Draco narrowed his eyes and glanced at Severus, "Uncle Severus, who is that? Isn't Potter supposed to be here?"

Before Severus could reply, Harry strode forward and with a cheeky smile held out his hand, "Harry Potter. Having a good summer, Malfoy?" Draco did an imitation of a goldfish for a moment before he noticed that the scar was indeed there, as Harry's hair, bangs and all were pulled back in a low-sitting cord at the base of his neck.

"Merlin Potter, what did you do to yourself? Get into a fight with a glamour and lose?" He sneered, trying to regain control of the situation. A Malfoy _never _loses control of any situation.

Harry dropped his hand and his smile faded back into the nervousness that was plain on his face as he glanced at Severus who only shrugged, "How much do you know of why I'm here, Malfoy?" He eyed the blonde intently.

"I just know that the old man gave you to Uncle Severus for _safe keeping_," he replied, feeling off-kilter at having a civil conversation with Potter and wondered where the conversation was going.

Severus decided to rescue Harry from spilling more than he was intending and spoke up, "Shall we have some tea rather than standing like idiots in front of the floo? He is here because he is learning occlumency from me, Draco." Draco's face lit with understanding and he nodded, moving towards the table without a second thought, momentarily ignoring Harry. Harry gave Severus a perplexed but thankful look as he moved to the table as well, allowing Severus to sit between him and Draco, which unfortunately made it so that he was sitting directly across from Draco.

Draco continued to eye Harry carefully, which was beginning to bother him. "If you're going to ask something, Malfoy, just spit it out," Harry sniped, sitting back moodily with his arms crossed in front of his chest defensively.

"You didn't answer my question. Lose a fight with a glamour?" Draco replied, stifling a blush at being caught unawares. He was thankful when the tea arrived and he set about preparing his cup to his liking.

"You could put it that way," Harry replied elusively, doing the same with his own cup. His hand bumped Draco's a few times, as they reached for the same thing at the same time, which earned each boy a dirty glare from the other. Severus sat back and watched amusedly, hoping he would not have to pull the boys apart due to fighting later.

"That doesn't tell me anything, Potter. Why is your face like that?" Draco replied heatedly.

"Who said I was going to tell you anything? And my face is like this because it's always been like this under a glamour," Harry responded, his cheeks tinged pink now.

Severus cleared his throat and watched Harry before looking to Draco, whom he could tell was frustrated and confused, "He is here because his magical majority hit and the glamour, which no one but the caster knew of, broke. It was unsafe for him to stay at his relatives as a result of his majority, and thus the Headmaster dumped him down here to learn to control his mind and expanded abilities."

Draco stared hard at Severus, trying to glean any unspoken information from him. The thought that it was not the full story tickled the back of his mind, though he could not say why. He finally nodded and looked back to Harry, whose eyes were glued to his cup of tea, "Who put the glamour on you?" He did not expect Harry to answer, only glare at him, so he was surprised when Harry whispered "my mum" without looking up.

He let the conversation drop, noticing the stern look on Severus' face and simply nodded, turning his attention to his own tea, his mind racing furiously with unasked questions.

* * *

"No Potter, when you clear your mind you don't want it to be completely empty," Draco snapped irritably. Somehow, he had been coaxed into Harry's room and was now sprawled on the other boy's bed, looking over his notes.

"I gathered that from the later chapters, those were my notes from the introduction. That's how Snape made it seem," Harry replied, just as irritably.

"Well, you misunderstood then," Draco replied smugly.

"No, he was just terrible at explaining it," Harry ground out.

"Potter, I understood his version of occlumency theory when I was 10, it's not hard to understand," Draco replied smoothly with a condescending tone.

"Hearing the theory and applying it are two different things! All he told me was "clear your mind" and then broke into my mind," Harry snapped in reply, glaring at Draco for making him feel stupid.

"Whatever you say, Potter," Draco said airily, continuing to peruse over the notes.

* * *

"We're really worried Professor, his birthday owls were returned unopened," Hermione spoke intently, sitting in Dumbledore's office. Ron, Sirius and Remus all nodded their agreement from different locations around the room.

"And, he wrote that he was staying with Snape," Ron added with a face, his opinion on the matter clear. Sirius nodded enthusiastically, his face mirroring Ron's.

"Albus, why is Harry not at his relatives? Isn't he supposed to be safest there? Surely not with Severus," Remus added softly.

"I'm afraid that is not for me to tell you all, Harry will have to explain it on his own. I believe that he is in his quarters now, with Severus and a guest, so if you are truly insistent on seeing him, you may do so. Though I caution you, his appearance has taken a rather drastic change and he does not react well to raised voices," Dumbledore explained, the last sentence said with a hardness that commanded obedience.

The others stared at the old man for a long moment before all of them started speaking at once, wanting him to explain. Dumbledore held up his hands until they quieted, "It is for Harry to explain when he is ready, do not push him, he is a bit fragile emotionally right now. You may visit him if you agree to bear that in mind and trust my decision to place him with Severus."

After moment Hermione nodded and stood, Remus moving with her to the door, followed shortly by Ron and Sirius who looked a bit more reluctant to agree, but did not speak in opposition to the terms set. The four made their way silently out of the office, intent upon reaching the dungeons and receiving answers, as well as to see for themselves that Harry was all right, even while living with Severus.


	16. Chapter 16

"They're coming down now?" Severus groaned, hoping that he had heard Dumbledore wrong.

"Yes my boy, I thought I'd give you some warning, it's just the four of them though," Dumbledore replied, looking amused though sympathetic. Before Severus could reply to the comment, a pounding came on his portrait door and his disgruntled portrait appeared on an inner portrait informing him of visitors. Severus turned back to the head floating in the fire and gave a "wish me luck" face before Dumbledore disappeared and Severus went to answer the portrait, wishing he had had time to warn Harry and Draco.

"LET US IN SNAPE, WE KNOW YOU HAVE HARRY!" Sirius yelled, the portrait being opened halfway through the statement, revealing an annoyed looking Severus.

"If you keep bellowing, Black, the ministry may hear and we wouldn't want that, would we?" Severus sneered, eyeing the four with distaste.

"We've come to see Harry, Severus, there are quite a few people at headquarters concerned about him," Remus announced diplomatically. Severus looked skeptical, but seeing as how he wasn't going to be able to shoo them, he opened the door further.

"Ten minutes, I will not have you lot invading my rooms longer than 10 minutes. His room is there," Severus pointed, quickly following the group to make sure nothing got out of hand. Ron and Hermione hurried to Harry's room and threw open the door.

"Harry mate! We have loads--" Ron cut off short as he stopped, causing everyone behind him to run into him as he looked at Draco and the one that didn't look at all like Harry except for the scar and the eyes.

"Loads of rudeness, Weasley? We can see that," Draco drawled, sitting up gracefully, watching the group curiously as well as Harry's near panicked expression.

"What is HE doing here! And why do you look like tha--oof," Ron began, before being cut off by Hermione's elbow in his side.

"I come to stay with my godfather EVERY summer Weasley, the question is what are you doing here?" Draco challenged.

"We came to see Harry," Hermione started cautiously, eyeing Harry's now blushing features with intrigue.

Sirius and Remus had been unnaturally quiet during the exchange and Sirius was watching Harry with an odd expression. He turned instantly and strode to Severus who was standing in the doorway and grabbed him by the robes, pushing him against the wall, "What did you do to him, Snivellus?"

"I have taken Mr. Potter in under the order of Albus," Severus replied easily, eyeing Sirius as though he were a bug.

"I meant his face! Why does he look like that? He looks like you, not James!" Sirius snarled, not noticing Harry's face growing pale and his flinching at the yelling as he eyed the bedspread with interest.

Severus gave Sirius a look that could cause a Dementor to run in fear, "You want to know why your godson does not look like your precious friend? Because James was not his father, I was."

"Liar! He would have told us! Lily wouldn't have done that!" Sirius raged, tightening his grip on the robes.

A small voice came from the bed as Harry finally spoke, "He's not lying, mum wrote to us with time-delay charms to tell us. James didn't know." He looked up at Sirius and felt his heart freeze at the startled look on the man's face.

"You called him James…not dad," Sirius whispered, striding to Harry in a flash, taking his face in his hands and gently shaking him, "What has Snape done to you Harry? This isn't right! You ALWAYS looked like James! Just like him! You can't be Snivellus'! YOU CAN'T BE!" Lupin moved quickly to pull Sirius away when he noticed the fear radiating off Harry and the glazed look in his eyes. He quickly pulled him away from the shaking boy and looked at Severus, showing him that he was removing Sirius before he did something stupid.

Severus nodded his agreement and glared doubly at Sirius, "Well he is and I suggest you get used to that fact, as he is living with me now." Remus managed to drag Sirius out the door before the man recovered from his shock and led him towards his quarters, as he would be staying on as the DADA teacher once more.

Harry continued to shake, unseeing eyes staring at the wall as he became consumed by memories of Vernon and the desolate feeling from having Sirius initially reject him.

"Harry, mate, Sirius is right, what happened to you? You can't be Snape's kid! I mean who would…why would they? Why would your mum? Snape must've drugged you!" Ron picked up right where Sirius left off, ignoring Hermione's efforts to shut him up.

That snapped Harry out of his memories as he looked at Ron, "No Ron, it's true…James isn't my father, mum said so…"

"No! I am NOT friends with a Snape! You can't be his son!" Ron yelled, ignoring the flinching from his friend in his rage, only falling silent when Hermione silencioed him. She glared at him furiously, putting him in a body bind for good measure and got into his face as he stared at her, open-mouthed but silent.

"Ronald Weasley! I can't believe you! He is our friend, stop treating him like anything is his fault!" She then left him there, moving towards Harry who had once against slipped into memories, but this time seemed to be much worse for it.

Not only had his godfather rejected him, but his best friend did as well. He began shaking to the point of almost seizing, his entire body shaking and limbs jerking lightly, his face incredibly pale with a light sheen of sweat covering his forehead, his eyes glazed over and breathing labored.

"Harry? Harry, please say something," Hermione begged quietly, becoming quite worried when all he did was flinch in reaction as she spoke. She looked at Draco who was sitting on the bed as well looking shell-shocked and spoke, "Go get Professor Snape, Malfoy…Draco! Snap out of it, get the Professor!"

The use of his first name worked, though Draco didn't seem to notice that it was Hermione whom said it, and he hurried to get Severus, his mind not accepting everything he had learned. The two quickly entered the room and over to Harry who had not calmed nor moved, but began to whimper if anyone attempted to touch him.

"Harry, it's alright, you're safe," Severus murmured softly to the boy, gently touching his arm to try to snap him out of it.

"NO! STAY AWAY!" Harry screeched, jumping off the bed and away from them as though they were out to kill him. His eyes shifted wildly between all of them, not recognizing their faces through his memories. He shrank away, dodging efforts to pull him back and he darted for the door, bolting from the quarters before anyone could stop him.

Severus started after him but was stopped by a small whimper. He looked back at the teens; Hermione had tears in her eyes, Ron had settled and looked pale and Draco looked confused and upset as well as he eyed Severus. He unbound Ron and took off the silencer and addressed the teens. "I am going to fetch Black and Lupin to help find Harry, Weasley go to the Headmaster and inform him of the events that have happened. Draco, Granger you begin searching for Harry. Draco, you know the dungeons best, start here."

Once all three teens nodded their understanding of their orders without complaint or comment, Severus strode from his quarters, intent on giving Black a piece of his mind. He also worried for Harry, trying to ignore the desperation that welled in him at the boy's actions as he hoped he would be found soon. Damn paternal instinct.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: As promised, here is the next chappy.

* * *

Severus pounded on the door to Remus' room and stood in silence until the werewolf opened it. Severus was seething in fury and stormed over to a shocked and upset Sirius. "Stop wallowing in your self pity Black!" He snapped, itching to curse the man.

"You love this, don't you Snape? Having Harry and leaving me with nothing!" Sirius shot back.

Severus' anger at the man reached the breaking point and before Sirius realized it, Severus' fist had connected with his cheek and nose. Severus did not stop there, but picked the man up forcefully by the robes and shoved him against a wall in quite the same way that Sirius had done to him.

"Congratulations Black, I hope you're happy about damaging an abused child. Until now, Harry had considered you one of his closest and most trusted adults and held out hope that you would not react exactly how Lily said you would. Just because you're upset that she ruined your hope of having Harry replace James does not excuse your actions toward a scared child!" Severus hissed in Sirius's face.

"What about you! How did you react? I'm sure you didn't want to take him in!" Sirius growled, grabbing desperately for some sort of leverage.

"I didn't rage at the boy and accuse him of something he had no control over! I owned up to my responsibility to the boy and took him in; you on the other hand are sorely lacking in taking up your responsibility to your GODSON. James may not be his father, but Lily was still his mother and she too appointed you as his godfather!" Snape snarled in return, turning his gaze to Lupin as the pale man tapped him lightly on the arm.

"Severus, what did you mean by abused child?" Remus asked quietly, terrified of the answer.

Severus gave one last sneer towards Sirius before releasing him and stepped back, addressing Remus fully as though no one else was in the room. "Those muggle relatives of his have abused him severely for years. His magical majority hit and nearly killed him due to his prior injuries from them, and a glamour that Lily placed on him when he was born to make him look like James was broken," Severus explained almost tiredly. Then he realized why he was there. "We have to go, now. Harry panicked and bolted out of our quarters after you left, he is now somewhere in the castle, panicked. I came to fetch you both to help find him." He shot a look at Sirius, begging him to protest.

To his disappointment, both shocked men nodded, though Remus looked rather ill at the news about Harry's relatives and Sirius looked livid. Severus sneered, "Wipe that look off your face, Black, if Harry sees it in his current state, he will think it is toward him. The Dursleys will be dealt with properly, I assure you." With that he strode from the room, not entirely sure of where to start looking. He didn't have to. A silver message dart careened down the hall toward him and burst when it reached him, the words writing themselves in the air in Draco's handwriting: "Found Potter; Potions Hall; Come Quick; Injured". That was all he needed to get him moving toward the Dungeons, not looking to see if the others were following.

"Lupin, go to Poppy and inform her of what is going on and that we may need her," he added as a final thought before hurrying off.

* * *

Harry had bolted blindly from the room in his panic, not noticing anything but his memories and the thought that Ron and Sirius had rejected him. He ran full speed down a series of familiar hallways, but the toe of his shoe caught on one of the uneven stones of the floor and he flew headfirst into one of the stonewalls. He landed in a crumpled heap, blood running down his face from a gash at his hairline, blissfully free from awareness and memories in his unconsciousness.

* * *

After Severus had left the three teens looked at each other awkwardly before Draco took charge. "Right, you heard Uncle Severus, Weasley go to Dumbledore. Go!" He snapped to get the pale boy moving, which seemed to work as Ron hurried out of the room. Once he was gone, Draco turned to Hermione, "Come on, let's go look." He turned abruptly and marched out of the room, Hermione hot on his heels. He turned to the right, starting towards the Slytherin common room and the back entrance to the potions hall. Hermione said nothing, simply wiped a few stray tears from her face as she hurried to keep up with Draco.

"Was that man Black? Isn't he a convict?" Draco broke the silence as they searched, wanting answers to his questions before his head exploded.

Hermione was startled when the blonde spoke and nodded, "He was framed by Peter Pettigrew…he's Harry's godfather." Draco raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else. He turned down the potions hall and nearly tripped over the object of their search, as he was crumpled in a heap at his feet. Both he and Hermione kneeled on either side of him, checking him for injuries and signs of life. Hermione took in a harsh breath upon seeing the blood covering his face and looked at Draco. Draco spared her only a glance before pulling out his wand and waving it down the hall, a silver dart shooting out of the tip and out of sight.

He looked back to her, "And now, we wait."

Hermione nodded and looked back to Harry, stroking fingers gently through his hair, "You used magic, won't you be expelled?"

Draco looked amused and eyed her, "Something Granger is unaware of, I'm amazed. The laws restrict use of magic at HOME to homework and emergencies. We are not at my home, however. We are at school, and therefore the wards to detect underage magic are not here. Can you imagine how bonkers the ministry would go during the school year if the wards picked up EVERY bit of magic performed here?"

Hermione blushed an incredible shade of red and mumbled something about that making sense. Draco smirked victoriously and looked up when he heard footfalls. He stood as Severus and Sirius approached. "Looks like he ran into the wall, hit his head," he summarized at Severus' questioning expression. Sirius helped Hermione up and Severus levitated Harry.

"Let's head back to our quarters, we can floo Poppy in from there," he announced, pulling the unconscious boy in the air after him as he started for their quarters, the others following close behind. Once there, he set the boy on the couch and went to the fireplace. Within a matter of moments, he had fire called Poppy and his sitting room now contained himself, Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Poppy and Dumbledore.

"He'll be alright, I sealed the cut. Head wounds bleed profusely, no matter how minor they are," Poppy announced after several moments. "Put him to bed and I won't demand he stay in the hospital wing, but no excitement or exertion for at least a day! I don't want him wearing himself out," Poppy ordered before leaving through the floo once more.

"I believe it is time to let Harry rest, you all will be able to visit once you have come to terms with what you have learned and will not further traumatize him," Dumbledore announced, eyeing Ron and Sirius with disappointment, causing both to blush shamefully. "Remus, if you and Sirius would return to your quarters and stay there until I get back? I will escort Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger back to the Weasleys." Remus nodded and tugged on Sirius' arm, whom looked ready to protest, but managed to get him out of the room.

Dumbledore then smiled to two teens and nodded, "Shall we head off? We can floo from my office." The teens nodded, Ron still looking shell-shocked, though no longer angry. Hermione moved back to Harry for a moment, pressing a light kiss on his hair in a friendly manner and muttered "we love you, Harry" before hurrying out the door with Dumbledore and Ron.

Once the room was empty except Severus, Draco and Harry, Severus levitated Harry from the couch and into his room, tucking him in without effort or thought. He then extinguished the light and left the room closing the door behind him.

He sighed heavily and plopped gracefully into an armchair, motioning for Draco to do the same in the other chair, which he did after a moment. He held up a hand to forestall the barrage of questions that was on Draco's tongue. "I will answer your questions Draco, but in order to ensure secrecy in this matter, I may have to use a tongue-tying charm on you."

Draco frowned, unused to being not trusted by his godfather on anything, but nodded after a moment. "What was that all about?"

Severus raised an eyebrow and replied dryly, "You'll have to be more specific."

"Potter is your son? Since when? What is really going on? Why is he really here? Why did he react that way?" Draco rambled, watching Severus intently; glad to finally be getting some answers.

"A few weeks ago, the Headmaster, I and Harry received time-delayed letters from his mother Lily. Yes, she was a mud blood, Draco. She was also my study partner for potions and charms and later my girlfriend for a short while, and she was still my best friend until her death. Do not ask more on that topic, I will not answer. James Potter cheated on her just before their wedding and she came to me. The result was Harry, which everyone but she was unaware of. She placed several strong glamours on him to hide his true parentage, and when he hit his magical majority, they broke. While the Headmaster and I were discussing the information, his wards on Harry's health went off," he paused for a moment to collect himself and gauge Draco's reaction thus far.

"It seems that his relatives were excessive in their abuse toward him. Take the average Slytherin's childhood and multiply it several times," at Draco's shocked look, Severus merely nodded grimly. "My point exactly. His uncle became rather zealous this summer and as a result, Harry nearly died when his majority hit. That is when he came back to Hogwarts. Once he had read his letter from his mother and was released from the Hospital Wing, he moved here. As to his reaction earlier, you can thank his uncle for that. Fast movements, raised voices, it all elicits those responses from him."

He watched Draco as the pale boy seemed shell-shocked once more, his mind working double-time to try to comprehend all of the information. "That's why you told the dark lord that Dumbledore trusted him with you…But Severus, what are you going to do? What if HE finds out?" Draco looked panicked on Severus' behalf, which calmed Severus quite a bit about the measures he would have to take to keep his godson quiet.

"I take it then, that you do not want him to find out about this any more than I do?" Severus probed, watching with satisfaction as Draco shook his head vehemently.

"No, Uncle Severus, I don't want him to find out because you would be killed. You know as well as I that you're more of a father to me than Father is!" Draco replied passionately, unusual for a normally stoic Malfoy.

Severus nodded and smiled to the teen, "Very good Draco. I believe it is time we talk about where our loyalties lie in this war." He was very good judge of his godson and knew that after the events of the afternoon, that Draco would trust his judgment on Dumbledore and Voldemort.

* * *

"I still can't believe he reacted that way! What a pompous asshole!"

"I know Draco, he is always like that."

"Merlin, I wanted to beat his face in for what he did…"

"Now you know how I always feel."

Harry awoke to the voices seeping through his door, his heart racing as he strained to listen in the darkness of his room. They were talking about him, and now Draco knew what was going on. They both hated him for how he had acted. Draco's hate he didn't care so much about, but a stab of pain in his chest arrived when he thought of Severus hating him. Funny what a few weeks would do. He stopped listening to the voices completely, ignoring the tingling in his scar and turned his thoughts over in his head. Would he send him to an orphanage once he figured out that he did not have to keep him? Or worse, would he send him back to Privet Drive? Harry shuddered and hunkered down in his blankets, breathing hard as he willed himself to not cry and lost the battle.

* * *

"Now you know how I always feel," Severus replied to Draco with a smirk. He shook his head, "Black is an utter moron, and always has been." He jumped suddenly, clutching his left forearm and gave Draco a significant look. "I have to go. Keep watch over him in case anything happens while I'm gone." With that order, he strode from the room, quickly moving to the headmaster's office, which he entered with ease.

He ignored the worried look on Albus' face and moved stood at the desk, "I've been summoned. If he asks for an update, I want to mention the Dursleys. Azkaban is too good for them for what they did; I want them to actually suffer a fraction of what they did to him."

Dumbledore looked startled, but busied himself in retrieving Severus' things. "You know I do not agree with the method of the Death Eaters and I do not like you indulging in them beyond what is necessary for your duties. However, given the circumstances, I can over look the events of tonight and chalk it up to your paternal instincts. Do what you must to rectify the situation in your eyes, but be cautious of the information you give. We do not want this to backfire and allow Tom to use the abuse against Harry."

Severus was amazed that Dumbledore relented so easily, he figured he would have to fight him on the subject. "Of course Headmaster, I will convince him that it is in his best interest to punish Harry's abusers if he intends me to gain the boy's trust. The ministry will fight for custody of him, however, when the Dursleys are found."

Dumbledore nodded and smiled, "Gather what information you can Severus, this could very well be your last meeting, use it well. If they fight for custody, so do we and the truth will likely become public. At least the truth about you, not the abuse."

Severus nodded, swiftly pulling on his mask, robes and pendant before using the pendant portkey to arrive at the meeting.

* * *

"Ah Severus, just the man I wanted to see," Voldemort spoke once the man had bowed. The revel was already fully into swing and a dead muggle lay off to the side to be disposed of later.

"My lord," Severus replied obediently.

"Rise, my faithful follower. What news do you bring me of Potter?"

Severus stood to his full height, picking his words carefully, "The boy is starved for care, and he trusts me further by the day. In fact, just today I learned that his muggle relatives abused him severely for years. I believe, my lord, that if you wish for me to gain his trust, then those muggles must be removed from the equation and you cannot use the abuse against him until you have him on the verge of death…or else his trust in me will be broken. Forgive me, if I am being to bold, my lord…" He bowed a bit once more, barely breathing. "If the relatives are killed, the ministry will undoubtedly fight for custody of the boy. Once they place him somewhere less guarded than Hogwarts, you can snatch him."

The room was silent for a moment before Voldemort's cackling laugh rang out, "Excellent Severus, excellent! You have done your duty better than I could ever dream. I trust you know the location of his relatives?" At Severus' nod, he continued, "Then let's not keep our guests of Honor waiting. Go to fetch them Severus and bring them here." With that, an excited cheer rose from the gathered Death Eaters and Severus nodded with satisfaction, apparating to Privet Drive.


	18. Chapter 18

The front door at Number 4 Privet Drive was suddenly blasted off its hinges, breaking the calm peace of the suburb. Severus stalked into the house in all his Death Eater glory and smirked smugly under his mask as the three Dursleys cried out their surprise. He noted with some satisfaction that Vernon's arm was in a sling and there were still cuts and bruises marring his skin from when he had gone through the wall.

"Oh good, you're home. Time for you to be repaid for your _wonderful_ caretaking skills of your nephew," he snarled lowly. Before Dudley could attempt to hide behind his mother, Severus stupefied the fat lump, followed by Petunia. He then stalked toward a shaking Vernon, unable to tell if the man was furious or scared, though he assumed somewhere in the middle. "I shall enjoy tearing you apart most of all," he whispered almost seductively before punching the man flat out, hitting his face just right so that his head ricocheted off the wall and he fell unconscious to the floor.

Severus knew he did not have much time to act, so he bound the three together and stepped outside the front door for just a moment to cast the Dark Mark above the house then walked back to the three, pulling his pendant out a bit. He magically lengthened the chain so that all four heads were within and touching some part of it before he activated the portkey and all four disappeared to Voldemort's Lair.

* * *

"Master, I present to you the Dursleys," Severus spoke formally, tucking the pendant back under his robes and showing off his prize with an evil smirk. He bowed as the Snake-faced man came to him and examined the muggles with a plainly disgusted look on his face. He smirked when he saw the blood running from Vernon's nose and lifted Severus' head by the chin to look at him, "I trust they caused no trouble? Unable to contain your excitement Severus?" 

Severus kept his gaze steady, mental blocks firmly in place, "Indeed, my Lord…it has been far too long since I've been able to torture muggles and he was attempting to cause trouble, so I did what was necessary." Voldemort smiled and nodded, pulling Severus to stand and looked around at his faithful followers.

"Severus, you may revive them now and seeing as you were the one to alert me to this…situation, you may have the honor of first strike and of killing them. The rest of you, once Severus has firsts, the festivities may begin. Have fun, my faithful ones, and enjoy yourselves," he announced to the joy of those gathered. Severus felt a bubble of vindictive happiness rise in him at the thought of being the one to end the lives of the pathetic muggles.

"My lord, what do we do with the bodies once we are done?" Wormtail spoke up, cowering low.

"You shall attach a note explaining that they should protect their savior better and you will leave the bodies at the ministry. Do not get caught, Wormtail, or I shall be exceedingly disappointed," Voldemort hissed back, signally with a gesture for Severus to revive the Dursleys and begin.

* * *

Minister Fudge whistled a happy tune as he arrived at the ministry at his normal early time the next day. Everything was working out rather well, considering the resent blunder of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Of course, now Dumbledore and that Potter brat were insisting that the Dark Lord had returned. Fudge, of course, was vehemently denying it, threatening anyone saying otherwise with a full auror investigation. It would ruin his career if Voldemort slipped back into power right under his very nose. 

He nodded cheerfully to a few early risers along the way to his office and greeted his secretary Dolores Umbridge before heading into his office. He let out a squeal of shock before falling into a dead faint just outside of his office, his face a ghostly white. Dolores squeaked and jumped to her feet, rushing to him, "Minister! Wake up!" She looked up towards the office and gaped, her face turning white as well before she bolted for a loo, emptying her breakfast from earlier into the toilet.

Three horribly disfigured bodies decorated the office. A fat man had been stripped of all skin and in many places, the flesh was completely missing down to the broken bones beneath, his face twisted into unearthly agony. He was splayed across the desk and above him, hanging from a noose was a thin woman who seemed to have had her limbs torn off and then magically reattached multiple times as well as having been beaten in general, physically and magically. A younger body laid on the floor, and from the amount of skin on the bones had appeared to be as fat as the man at one point, but looked as though he had been starved very quickly, as though with a starving curse. His entire body was sunken in, his face twisted in terror as the starving curse was not exactly fast, lasting several hours, and causing extreme agony as it forced the victim to starve to death.

Aurors were quickly alerted to the scene, the walls covered in blood, a message scrawled out over all of Fudge's framed awards and certificates: "The Dark Lord Returns, Take Better Care of Your 'Savior' if You Intend to Keep Him". Fudge was soon revived and was clinging to Umbridge like a little child as the office was swarmed with Aurors and a few sneaky reporters who managed a few photos and to nip some information before being bodily removed from the area by Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Rita Skeeter would have cackled to herself for her cleverness in becoming such an easily over-looked Animagus as she perched on the wall opposite the blood and surveyed the scene, paying close attention. Hermione had released her only days before with a warning to behave or else there would be hell to pay, though not in so many words. Once the bodies had been cleared and all the information on the identities and the general situation had been gathered, she buzzed out the door and out of the ministry, pleased with getting a story that would make front page that evening, even if she felt rather sick at the grizzly scene.

* * *

Severus returned early the following morning before the sun had come up, blood soaked through his robes though invisible since the cloth was black. He felt decidedly better after the torture of Harry's relatives and their subsequent deaths and he paused at Harry's door, glad to hear that the boy was sleeping soundly and seemed to not have seen what had happened through a vision. He moved down the room, listening through Draco's door, whom was also snoring lightly and smirked before moving into his own room. 

He felt redeemed for the first time in his life, for his Death Eater activities. After checking in with Albus, he confirmed what had happened to the Dursleys and had learned that his relation to Potter would undoubtedly be made public within a few days. The bodies had been left in the Minister's office and the squat man was almost certainly going to be thrown out of office for ignoring Voldemort's return.

As a result, Albus had warned, he may attempt to gain control of Harry's custody and place him in "safety" to save his career. If he did, they would make their movie and Severus would fight for full custody of the boy. Once his relation was made public, it would be nearly impossible for the Minister to win, even with Severus' background.

Severus smiled faintly to himself, feeling that his Death Eater days had actually ended on a good note, as he would undoubtedly have to quit his position and find a way to close the bond through his mark. All in good time, however, he thought as he took a quick shower, washing the filth of the Dursleys from himself.

The best part, in his opinion, had been castrating Harry's uncle with his hands and a dagger after the man had been fed a nerve-stimulating potion that would cause ever nerve to be at least 50 times more sensitive than normal. All he had to concentrate from here on was keeping Harry sane and continuing to patch him up despite the damage done to him by Black and Weasley and working to gain custody of him. After all, the boy deserved some form of stability in his life for once. After he had showered, he quickly changed into his sleeping pants and top before climbing into bed, sleeping the best he had in years.

* * *

A/N: Hope it was worth the wait, despite the lack of extreme details of what had happened to the Dursleys, I'm sure your imaginations can come up with something suitable. As for if Severus is being a bit too sadistic, he is becoming rather protective of Harry in his own way, especially after how Sirius and Ron reacted. I imagine he acted exactly as any parent would to someone whom had raped and beaten their child for years. ;) 


	19. Chapter 19

Morning broke and with Harry's awakening came a heavy leaded feeling to his head and chest. He rubbed his eyes blearily trying to remember why he felt that way. Then he remembered what had happened with Hermione, Ron, Remus, and Sirius. He stifled a pained gasp as he remembered the conversation he had overheard between Draco and Severus, remembering that both thought terribly of him and wanted to get rid of him. He felt the sick feeling return once more, though thankfully no more tears, and swallowed hard for a moment.

He knew he would not be able to go the day without facing them, however, so steeled himself and went about getting dressed. He was startled to find his closet full of clothing that fit him the first day he had moved in, but Severus had explained that this particular closet would know exactly what someone needed, down to the color socks, and would provide it. He pulled out a set of black robes, black slacks, a green jumper and black socks. Once he was dressed, he brushed his hair out, putting it back into the ponytail and brushed his teeth.

He stepped out of his room uncertainly, looking around awkwardly for signs of life. What he saw amused him to no end. Dobby had attached himself to Draco's legs and the blonde boy was trying to pry him off, pleading with him to fetch breakfast. Harry could not help but snicker and covered his mouth to hide the smile as Draco's head snapped up. "What are you looking at, Potter?" He snapped, though the venom normally in his voice was absent.

Harry shook his head and squeaked as Dobby launched himself at the dark haired boy and clung to him as instead, "Harry Potter! You is back at Hogwarts! Dobby is so glad to see yous! And you is staying with Master Draco too! Good day for Dobby! Dobby will get you two and Master Severus breakfast!" With that, the excited elf snapped back to the kitchen. Harry snickered again and shook his head, moving cautiously to the kitchen to sit across from Draco who was looking at him amusedly now.

"What are you looking at, Malfoy?" Harry imitated him with a smirk, which turned to a grin when Draco scowled at him. "Mental house elf you used to have, though he's been like that towards me since I freed him," he added as the food appeared on the table.

Draco shook his head with a snort, "He's always been that way. He was the one that raised me, mostly, along with Uncle Severus. Father and Mother were usually too busy to watch me." He grew quiet and mentally kicked himself for how easy it was for him to spill things to Harry, bringing his attention to a piece of toast that needed buttering.

Harry soon withdrew into himself, and idly played with a piece of toast rather than eat it as he became lost in his thoughts, confused at Draco's lack of hostility toward him. Draco watched him intently as he ate, still a bit shocked by everything he had learned about the boy and his own godfather the previous day. He was surprised to see the slightly mopey look on the boy's face and figured it was because Harry had not seen Severus since before the man was summoned.

"Don't worry Potter, Severus will be up a bit late today, he was summoned last night," Draco explained, but was startled to see that rather than relax, the boy tensed at the mention of the surly man. "What's wrong Potter?"

Harry looked up at Draco with a pained expression on his face, which he quickly changed to a slight smile that still looked as though he were swallowing a toad, "Oh…but he came back alright?"

Draco nodded, watching the boy very intently now, "Yes, I checked this morning, he's just sleeping it off." Harry nodded and went back to moodily tearing apart his toast. Draco watched him for several minutes and when Harry had thoroughly mutilated his piece of toast without eating any of it, Draco decided to prod and find out what had crawled up the boy's arse and died.

"Alright Potter, out with it. What did that piece of toast do to you?" Draco demanded, startling the boy and was surprised to see the boy mask the pained expression once more. He narrowed his eyes as the boy shook his head and muttered a weak "nothing" and crossed his arm. "Potter. What. Is. Wrong?" Harry blinked and looked at Draco; thinking for a moment that he saw a brief flash of concern in the boy's steel-blue eyes, but that would not make sense with what he had heard.

"I told you, it's nothing," he tried again, though the answer sounded pathetic even to his ears. He sighed and released the piece of toast and before Draco could respond that Harry's answer was bullshit, he looked at the boy and blushed lightly, "Last night I heard you and Severus talking…and I heard you both mention that you both pretty much hate me and want to smack me for being stupid." He stared at the boy for as long as he dared before looking down at his plate, feeling less brave than he had when he started speaking.

Draco stared at the boy in shock, trying to remember having ANY conversation along those lines before Severus was summoned and then remembered the conversation that they'd had about Sirius. Draco raised an eyebrow, as Harry looked ready to bolt at a moment's notice and stood, moving quick to place his hands on the arms of Harry's chair, effectively pinning the smaller boy there and cutting off his escape route.

"You're so stupid Potter, and if you're going to eavesdrop be sure to listen to the entire conversation. Uncle Severus and I were talking about that moron of a godfather of yours, not you! We all were rather pissed at how he reacted toward everything we found out. Let me sum up the events of last night for you. After you took off, we had to go find you and you hit your head on the wall.

"We brought you back here, Madam Pomfrey patched you up, then Dumbledore took Weasel and Granger home while Lupin took Black back to their quarters. Apparently, Lupin is coming back as our Defense teacher again. Severus was furious at how Black treated you, in fact I think he may have had a broken nose when they came back…so no, Potter, he doesn't want to smack you, he wanted to smack your godfather around. Though I may want to smack you for you thinking that about him!" Draco finished, his voice staying completely level through his rant, though his face had flushed a bit and he looked indignant on Severus' behalf.

Harry sat stock-still staring up at Draco as the boy hovered above him, still pinning him to the chair. He felt like a moron and felt his cheeks turn a lobster-like color as Draco ranted. He wanted to smack himself for not listening more to the conversation and looked down a bit, "Oh…so, um, you know everything then?" He knew it was a lame save, but it worked.

Draco raised his eyebrows and slowly released the boy, returning to his own seat, glad to see that the boy was now eating the mutilated toast, "Yes, Potter, all of us do…don't worry, Uncle Severus and I had a long talk and there is no way anyone is finding out about it through me. Uncle Severus has been more of a parent to me than either of my parents have been; there is no way I'll risk losing him due to saying something stupid, even if it means protecting you in the process." He smirked triumphantly, glad to be back on more familiar ground and went back to his own breakfast. Harry nodded and hesitantly smiled at the boy.

"Geez, what a chore for you, keep a secret to protect the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. It must be killing you," Harry teased back, feeling the tension in the room melt.

"Severus wasn't kidding, you ARE a cheeky bastard," Draco commented, tossing a piece of toast at the other boy. Severus stepped out of his room a few minutes later and nearly choked on his breath at the chaos before him. The boys were still tossing bits of toast at each other, covering the entire dining room floor with chunks of toast.

* * *

"Ahem, am I interrupting playtime, boys?" He spoke smoothly, stepping into the room and vanishing the toast on the floor. Both boys had the grace to look sheepish for a moment, though Draco's expression quickly turned to a cheeky grin. 

"Glad to see you up finally…such a lazy one," he muttered the last bit to Harry, causing the other boy to shake with silent laughter.

"Very funny Draco, though I'll have you know that today we're going to be continuing occlumency lessons for both of you. You are both going to learn under my tutelage the rest of this summer," he replied easily, glaring at Draco for his cheek, though it was half-hearted. He sat on the empty seat of the table and looked over the plethora of food before looking up at Draco, "Dobby knows you're here, doesn't he?" Both boys nodded and looked up at him and he smirked.

"Well at least you left some toast for me amidst your battle," he muttered and began gathering himself food and tea.

* * *

Lessons went on that day, Draco finally understanding what Harry meant when he said that applying occlumency theory is a lot harder than just understanding it. Nevertheless, by the end of the day, both boys were exhausted but feeling triumphant. Even Severus was proud of the progress that the boys were making when they were able to work together, though he would be hard-pressed to admit it. 

The boys were finally showered and ravenously hungry by the time dinnertime hit and Severus led the way to the Great Hall, saying that Dumbledore insisted that they make an appearance for at least one meal a day, so he could make sure that they had not killed each other yet. They made their way into the hall, Harry carefully maneuvering to put Severus and Draco between himself and his godfather, keeping his gaze to the floor, as he was not ready just yet to face the man.

Of course, the escaped convict had to come to dinner in his dog form, which certainly made it easier for Harry to avoid conversation with him. The trio greeted the people pleasant in their own ways, Harry with a shy wave, Draco with a nod and a quick hullo to his more favorite teachers and Severus glaring at anyone who dared greet him.

Dinner progressed smoothly and the owls began to arrive to deliver the Evening Prophet and evening mail. Draco paid the owl that delivered the paper, glad to see that he received no mail from home and opened the paper. He gasped and dropped it when he saw the gruesome photo on the front of the Dursleys in Minister Fudge's office with the blood-written message in the background and the relating article by Rita Skeeter highlighting the details of the gory find and the speculations of ministry officials on what it meant.

Harry looked up when Draco gasped, hearing a few others in the room gasp as well as they opened their own copies of the paper and he pulled it a bit toward himself. One look at the photo and the headline that read: "Boy-Who-Lived's relatives found brutally murdered, bodies left in Minister's office!" and he quickly pushed his plate away. His face was pale and he quickly exited the hall through the back teacher's entrance and hurried to the nearest bathroom to empty the contents of his stomach as his mind raced.

Severus and Draco exchanged looks, Severus stood to follow the boy, and Draco looked awkwardly at the others present, knowing that everyone had seen the article. "Well…that's one way to end dinner," he commented weakly as he felt his own stomach turn over. Everyone else simply nodded as Dumbledore slipped out of the hall after Severus, worried about how Harry would react to the news. This was certainly not the way he intended to have the boy find out.

A/N: Sorry about the wait everyone, Christmas was busy and I work full time, plus I got a new puppy the other day. But I was determined to update today, so here ya all go )


	20. Chapter 20

Harry clung tightly to his porcelain god as he finished emptying his stomach, his head spinning with the images of the Dursleys spread around Fudge's office. He hadn't read the article, hadn't needed to, his imagination was bad enough. He whimpered softly and rested his forehead on the edge as it flushed, grateful for the cooling sensation flowing through his head. He heard footsteps behind him, not bothering to look up as his stomach and head swam, knowing it was Severus.

"Harry?" Severus spoke, watching the boy uncertainly, moving to crouch behind him. He awkwardly reached a hand out and patted his back, unsure of how to comfort him. In the doorway outside the bathroom stall, Dumbledore stood silently, waving the two men behind him silent. The dog sat by his feet and the worn looking werewolf stood silently behind him, all three listening to the two in the bathroom.

"They're dead…they're dead because of me, they didn't deserve that, it's all my fault," Harry muttered quietly, not lifting his heavy head from the edge of the loo, shaking it lightly. He flinched as he felt Severus' hand tighten against his back and tried to pull away as the man pulled him away from the toilet and to his chest, holding him gently, though firmly as the boy weakly slumped against him, not bothering to try to fight him.

"Harry, you listen and you listen well. You are not to blame for their deaths. You are not to blame for any deaths. The Dursleys deserved it, no matter what they pounded into your head; anyone who would treat a child as they treated you deserves what they got. Child abuse is beyond illegal in the wizarding world, it goes against everything the society stands for. Granted many pure blooded families do practice some abuse to gain control of their children as teens, it is more neglect that is practiced that outright abuse. Draco was neglected by his parents and would have grown very much like Lucius without Dobby and myself there to raise him properly when they were not around.

"What was done to them is no worse than what would have been done to them if they had been sent to Azkaban, without the pain you would suffer had they gone to trial," Severus explained softly into his hair, stroking his back gently.

Harry shivered and clung tightly to Severus' robes, "Was it Voldemort? Were you there? Why didn't you tell me if you knew?" His voice cracked a bit with emotion on the last statement.

Severus swallowed, pausing to gather his thoughts, knowing that this conversation could make or break their fragile quasi-relationship. He took a deep steadying breath and closed his eyes, speaking into Harry's hair once more. "Yes it was Voldemort, Harry, he questioned me on you last night and Dumbledore and I agreed to feed him limited information on some of your family history. I warned him against using it against you as it would break your trust in me, and I apologize for not speaking of it earlier, but I felt you would do better to not dwell on events that you could not change.

"He does not know details nor the worst of it, just that you were not treated well. He then ordered the Dursleys to be fetched and the papers showed the results of that." Severus stopped speaking, feeling Harry tense in his arms and looked down as burning green eyes met his.

"You told him and he killed them because of me…You didn't even ask me if I wanted them dead! They were my only family until this summer and you just up and got them killed! They may not have been the greatest, but--" Severus cut him off, turning the boy bodily around to face him.

"But _what_, Harry? But they should have been left alive so the ministry could deny any attempts I had at claiming you as my son in the future and force you to return to them? But your aunt and cousin did not deserve it, though they KNEW and condoned what that fat walrus did to you? But you find having me as family to be such a horrid idea that you would prefer to go back to THEM?" Severus spoke vehemently, gripping Harry's arms firmly, though not tight enough to cause pain.

Harry gaped for several moments, his mouth opening and closing as he stared at Severus, tears filling his eyes briefly before he tried to blink it away, dropping his head as the heaviness came back, a tear trailing down his cheek, "I'm sorry…I didn't think about that, I'm sorry I didn't think about you, how you've been taking care of me…you mean you might want to claim me someday even after this?" He stiffened, afraid that Severus would yell that he was stupid to think he would want him after how he acted tonight.

Severus stared incredulously at the boy, gently wiping away the tear that had made its way to the boy's chin and pulled his head up so that he could look the boy in the eyes. "Harry, it was partially why I agreed it was good to tell Voldemort. With the Dursleys gone, the ministry will attempt to get custody over you, which would be a perfect time to make it public, as it undoubtedly will be public thanks to your reputation, and I can adopt you officially if you'd like.

Once Voldemort hears the truth when it comes out, my spying days will be over so I would not have to leave you again…I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to learn this way, I'm not entirely sure I knew how I wanted you to find out, but it wasn't like this. I was going to tell you though, and propose the adoption…if you want it," he spoke lowly, though not unkindly. The flicker of hope and momentary joy that passed through the boy's eyes was all that he needed to know how the boy felt. The boy then nodded enthusiastically, unable to say anything as his throat clenched tightly and he threw himself into the man's arms.

* * *

The three men listening by the door looked at each other and the one in dog form had the grace to look painfully ashamed. They quietly retreated, heading towards Dumbledore's office to give the two some privacy and once in the office, Sirius transformed back to his human form. Dumbledore sat at his desk, conjuring a few plates of dinner from the Great Hall to his desk and motioned for the two to sit. They all tucked in silently, though none ate much as they all stole glances at each other, both of the younger men looking sheepishly at their plate upon seeing Dumbledore watching them with _that_ look in his eyes. 

"I hope you both have come to a few valuable realizations tonight," he spoke softly, satisfied to see them both nod as he watched Sirius in particular. Sirius looked up, noticed the gazes on him, and swallowed, allowing himself to meet Remus'.

"I get it now, Snape isn't trying to hurt him, no matter what I think…I may not like him, but Lily must have seen something beyond the nose and hair and Harry, for some reason, needs something from him that I apparently cannot give," he finally relented, sounding resigned but not at all happy about it.

"Indeed, so now you see that this is serious and that Severus is not going to leave Harry's life, and once he claims custody he is going to be a permanent fixture in it, with or without you?" Dumbledore challenged, gaining the man's attention. Sirius visibly paled as he realized how close he came to accidentally throwing Harry away like a piece of garbage.

"I need to apologize to him, tonight, before I lose him, I can't lose someone else," he spoke softly; the pain in his voice and the paleness to his face convincing the other two that he was serious. Remus smiled, glad that his hours the previous night in trying to get him to listen were finally starting to pay off.

Dumbledore nodded and smiled to him, holding out a lemon drop to him, "I believe that would be a splendid idea, and then you can attempt to form a truce with Severus, seeing as how you'll both be in Harry's life from now on." His tone offered no room for argument and Sirius nodded jerkily, still disliking the idea of having to swallow his pride and find a way to get along with Severus, but he certainly was not going to say so around the others in the room.

"Well then, let us tuck into this splendid food and then you can be on your way gentlemen," Dumbledore spoke cheerily, tucking in with gusto.

* * *

"Shall we head back and try to salvage a light dinner? I'm sure Draco is concerned about our abrupt departure as well," Severus spoke after Harry had calmed, explaining what he and Draco had argued over that morning and talked about their misgivings concerning Sirius. They came to little conclusion on the latter subject and finally gave up. Harry nodded after a moment, once his stomach growled and answered for him. 

"Just…make sure I can't see the paper, please," he whispered as he stood shakily, using Severus as support. Severus nodded and they returned to the Great Hall, Severus meeting Draco's eyes to reassure him. He moved ahead of the boy to move all the papers away and turn them upside down. He looked around, noticing the absence of Albus, Remus and Sirius, but tucked it away for later thought. They both sat in their former seats and sat in silence, thankful that no one else in the room said anything as they ate soup and salad as much as they could stomach.

Once finished, the three looked at each other before silently making their way back to their rooms, Draco a bit concerned over Harry's reaction, though relieved that Severus was able to bring him back in one piece. Once in their quarters, the tension seemed to break and dissipate quickly as Harry sunk onto the couch and looked up at Draco with a pleading look that made him look younger than he should, "Wanna play chess?"

Severus smirked and settled in to finish some work, watching the boys get into a friendly competition over several games, glad for the small reprieve from the chaos that was to come, for all of them.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the wait folks, had a bit of a writers block since I'm writing this as I go, but I think I've overcome it and the story should be flowing a bit more quickly now. Thank you all for being patient. 


	21. Chapter 21

"So Uncle Sev, what's going to happen now?" Draco finally broke the quiet, idly moving a chess piece and taking one of Harry's knights in the process. Harry looked up, startled by the voice and even more by the implication of Draco's question. He himself was curious about it, but had not wanted to ask, he was not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

Severus looked up from the paper that was being dosed liberally in red ink and raised an eyebrow, "In which respects or do you mean in general?" Draco fixed him with an annoyed look and Severus could not help but smirk, "Oh very well…As it stands, the ministry is shaken up, they will investigate the deaths to determine if the Dark Lord was truly involved or if it was just a hoax. During said investigation, they will likely move to gain custody over Harry, citing that he will be safer with them.

"The Dark Lord knows up to that much…from there, things are going to get hectic. I do not know what the plan involving you will be Draco, as you are staying here while this is happening…I will not lie, Lucius may realize that you knew something and did not tell him, no matter that you did not find out till recently," he paused, watching the blonde boy shudder almost imperceptibly. Both boys were watching him intently now, but all three jumped when there was a pounding at the door.

Severus gave the boys a look to tell them to stay put and stood, moving to open the portrait. He straightened defensively when he saw Lupin and his mutt on the other side. He moved to shut the door on their faces, but Lupin put his foot in the door, effectively stopping him with a grimace when the door hit his limb. "Severus, we come in peace…we've had a long talk with Albus," he spoke softly peaking around the formidable man at Harry, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Severus sneered, refusing to budge, "And I should allow you into my quarters why? We know how it ended the last time I did." Lupin sighed and jumped back a bit as Sirius transformed, launching himself at Severus and clung to him.

"Please, let me see him…I need to apologize before I lose him. Please Sniv--Snape, let me try to make things right," Sirius pleaded, effectively kicking down his ego at the thought of begging Severus of all people.

Severus looked at Sirius as though he were an unpleasant bug and brushed his hands off, "As much as I loathe saying it, aside from banning you from my quarters it is not up to me on what is done with you. That would be up to your godson, if he wishes to see you again." He looked behind him and frowned at the helpless shrug given by Harry, but stepped aside grudgingly, but not before grabbing the man by the scruff of the neck as he rushed in.

"Once, Black. You upset him once and I will disown you as his godfather," he muttered threateningly before releasing him and shutting the door behind Lupin.

Sirius swallowed hard and nodded, moving forward to crouch by Harry's chair, steadying himself with a hand on the armrest, watching the boy pleadingly, "Harry, please forgive me for yesterday…I can't forgive myself for how I reacted to you…I was just shocked, I didn't mean to turn against you." He lightly patted Harry's arm, resisting the urge to cling to him. Harry stared at the man, forcing himself to not show any upset emotions. In honesty, he was touched and relieved that he would not be losing his godfather to the changes in his life.

He glanced up at Severus and Lupin, hoping to assure them that he wasn't upset, merely relieved as he launched himself into his godfather's arms and clung tightly to him, burying his face in his shoulder, "It's okay Sirius…I'm just glad you're okay with it now." The emotion in his voice nearly broke everyone in the room as Sirius clung to him. Sirius could not say anything, just held him tightly before looking up at Draco, amazed at the non-rude expression on the boy's face. Things had certainly changed.

Severus cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow, "If we can continue, we were discussing the events that are to come now that the attack on the Dursleys has occurred. If you two intend to stay, I suggest you find seats." He shuffled awkwardly before striding back to his face, a bit disconcerted from feeling awkward in his own rooms. He sat back down and eyed everyone as they gathered seats around where the two boys were playing chess and looked at him expectantly.

"As I was saying, the Dark Lord expects that the ministry will fight to gain custody of Harry, and that is where we come in. As we speak, the Headmaster is gathering key items such as Harry's birth certificate and Poppy is preparing a paternity test using blood she gathered while Harry was unconscious yesterday. The moment the ministry attempts to gain custody, we will step in, present evidence, and fight the validity of their claim on him.

"From there, my job as a spy is over; as soon as the Dark Lord hears that I am Harry's father, I will be on his hit list because I did not tell him and I will obviously be fighting to keep him safe. Chances are we will be staying at Hogwarts for our own safety until we go to get school supplies, and when we do, we will likely have a heavy escort. Things will be doable, however, and my claim on his custody will go through very quickly, seeing as how the ministry cannot argue against blood relations. That is why they made no attempt to get you when Dumbledore gave you to the Dursleys," he looked at Harry directly with that last statement, making sure he understood.

Everyone nodded on their own time in agreement with the game plan and soon the tension broke as Draco declared "check-mate" and the four around the table began a new round of chess, winner against winner of each game until, surprisingly, Sirius came out on top in a close game against Draco. Severus had gone back to his grading, though got little done as he closely watched the escaped convict, still not trusting him with Harry, though surprised that he had swallowed his pride to apologize how he had.

He was not sure of how things were going to go, but he did know that things were only going to get busier and that he would have to learn to put up with Sirius and Remus in his life and quarters as much as he hated the thought. He knew he would do it for Harry, as the boy had wormed his way into his life and possibly his heart quite easily and Severus found he was in no mind to change that.


	22. Chapter 22

"So, explain this again…" Harry repeated for the third time, causing Draco to rip his toast into two and glare at him in exasperation and Severus to have a very attractive vein throbbing on his forehead. Sirius and Remus had left after news of that morning's events had come, promising to see Harry later, and making excuses that they had to meet with someone for breakfast. In reality, however, they had stayed the night in the living room and didn't want to irk Severus any more than they already had, so made a hasty retreat.

"Harry, it is exactly as I've told you…Dumbledore has several people loyal to him in the ministry, one of whom works in the adoption and parental custody department of the ministry…last night Dumbledore submitted our papers to her and they were filed in secret. He received the confirmation letters today while he was at the ministry for a Wizengamot meeting.

"There he used them as a way to bring up a discussion on amending the laws regarding possible abuse and custody disputes. There was a clause prior to today that mentioned that in any custody dispute, the ministry could revoke custody from the party with said custody and take the child into ministry protection and placement. Dumbledore convinced them, in light of recent events pointing to a possible war on the horizon, that the clause should be amended so that whoever the ministry has given approval to, through documentation, prior to the dispute will retain custody that cannot be revoked by the ministry without reason," Severus explained, keeping a tight grasp on his patience.

Harry stared at him, allowing his mind to continue to process the information, "So, since Dumbledore has the documents saying that you're my legal father, approved by the ministry due to his contact, the ministry can't take me away for any reason they see fit? They have to have a good reason to take me?" Severus nodded and Harry finally shot both of them a silly grin, "Now I get it…I was worried that Fudge would try something to get me taken away based on your…past alliances."

Severus nodded, "That is why Dumbledore worked to get that clause amended, he knew they would try. Thankfully Dumbledore still retains credibility and control over the Wizengamot to an extent, and Fudge was not present today. They only needed the majority to amend the clause, not the full body in agreement."

"Oy, guess that meansI'm stuck with you, aren't I, Potter?" Draco piped up with a smirk, the glint in his eyes nothing but playful. Before Harry could respond, his face was struck with a somewhat soggy, buttery half chunk of toast. He stared, jaw-dropped at Draco, who was shaking with laughter before they both got into an all-out toast fight.

"Dear effing Merlin," Severus exclaimed as he stood to avoid the flying food and he retreated to the sitting area of the room, away from the destruction.

* * *

Dumbledore sat in his office, sucking on a lemon drop as he reviewed the revised list of banned objects submitted to him by Filch. It always amused him to no end to find out which things were banned every year, especially since the Weasley twins had opened their shop just weeks before. Dumbledore was in a good mood despite what had happened to the Dursleys, now that Harry was safe from the ministry's tactics of trying to take him away. It was by a stroke of luck that Fudge had not been present at the Wizengamot that morning, instead at St. Mungo's for therapy due to finding the bodies in his office. 

He looked up, a bit startled, as several bodies popped out of his fireplace, one by one, each with a flash of green from the floo. Once they had untangled themselves from each other he saw that there were 3 aurors, two of whom were in the Order, Percy Weasley and Dolores Umbridge herself, in all her toad-like glory.

She strode to the front of the desk, smiling to Dumbledore with her sickly-sweet look and held out a rolled parchment, "We are here to remove Mr. Potter and take him into the Ministry's protection in his time of tragedy, upon the decree of Minister Fudge. We will allow you to comply peacefully but we are prepared to take him by force if we must."

Dumbledore took the parchment and unrolled it, the paper flashing blue for a moment as he broke the seal. He read over the decree calmly, noticing that Fudge apparently was not aware of the Wizengamot ruling when he wrote it. He glanced over his moon-rimmed glasses and noticed that while Umbridge managed to look haughty, Percy looked like a child in trouble, though he still tried to appear high-and-mighty as well. His gaze went to the trio of Aurors in the back as they conversed quietly near the back, sounding suspiciously like they were deciding where to go to lunch after the meeting.

"Of course, Madam Umbridge, I shall call Mr. Potter and his guardian here at once," he finally spoke and he set the decree on his desk. He then, rather than getting up and moving to the floo as she expected, continued to sit and pull out various papers from drawers, making no effort to call the two to his office.

Umbridge sat impatiently in one of the chairs at the front of the desk, tapping her fingers idly on the arm rest. She stared at the Headmaster as he continued to shuffle around in his desk, seemingly ignoring their presence. She reached out for a licorice snap from the bowl on his desk as he popped another lemon drop into his mouth and cried out as several licorice snaps came alive and chomped onto various parts of her hand. She stood, flailing her arm and hand trying to get them off, yelling at the candies to release her.

Dumbledore looked up, raising an eyebrow in amusement as the woman continued to jump and flail, noticing the Percy was having trouble stifling a laugh as he watched the woman and that the Aurors too were watching with mixes of disgust and amusement on their faces. While the woman continued to flail, he moved to the fireplace and finally threw in a pinch of floo powder, summoning Severus and Harry.

* * *

Severus looked up as Dumbledore's head came into view in the fireplace and noticed that the boys stilled in their food fight. "Severus, I'm sorry to disturb you, but it seems that the ministry has come in regards to Harry. Would you kindly both come to my office please? I'll leave the floo open for you," Dumbledore explained, smiling to the two boys before disappearing. 

Severus looked up at Harry and beckoned for him to come, cleaning him with a flick of the wand of stray bits of butter and toast. He looked over at Draco would a slight glower, "Draco, while we are gone you are to clean up this mess that you made and wait here for us." Draco moved to protest, glaring at his godfather but shut his mouth after a moment with a hmph and crossed his arms.

Severus smirked and gently guided Harry to the fireplace and passed him the powder, "The headmaster's office." Harry nodded and moved through the floo, followed by Severus.

* * *

They both stepped out of the fireplace to the amusing scene of a very disheveled Umbridge, whose bow had fallen out of her hair, causing her hair to stick up randomly in odd directions and was panting heavily from the effort of getting the snaps off. She looked up as the entered and straightened, attempting to smooth out her rumpled appearance and look haughty once more. 

Severus rolled his eyes and glared at Percy, who was doing a fine imitation of a goldfish upon seeing him, until he realized he was gaping and finally straightened up, glaring back at the Potions Master. The aurors in the back quieted down and looked up curiously at Harry and Severus, all lounging against the back idly, not making any moves to protect Umbridge or Percy from the volatile man.

"You called, Headmaster?" Severus addressed the elder man, ignoring the others in the room as he pulled Harry to stand next to him.

"Yes, Severus, Madam Umbridge here was kind enough to bring this decree by Minister Fudge to my attention and since it pertains to you both, I thought it only fair to allow you to read it," he replied, passing the man the decree. The man read it, his expression revealing nothing and passed it to Harry to read. Harry's face soon became plastered with a gleeful grin that made Percy and Umbridge rather uncomfortable as they stared at the boy.This was certainly not the reaction they had expected. Harry set the decree down on Dumbledore's desk and grinned to him, "Brilliant...Headmaster, do you have the papers that talk about this?"

At the Headmaster's nod, Umbridge sat back in the chair and looked at him and demanded, "What papers? We are simply here to remove the boy!" Dumbledore looked at her calmly before offering lemon drops all around, even to the aurors, but was only taken up on the offer by Harry. The headmaster popped another lemon drop into his own mouth before picking up the authorized adoption papers and passing them to Umbridge.

"I believe young Harry was referring to these," he replied smoothly, watching as the woman began sputtering and jumped to her feet. Unfortunately, as she did, she stepped on several licorice snaps that had landed on the floor from her earlier flailing and riled them up once more, causing them to hop up and latch onto her shoes and lower legs.

She worked to kick them off as she glared up at Dumbledore as though it were his fault and spat, "Due to the suspicious circumstances of his relatives' deaths and the insinuation in the message left behind of possible abuse, the ministry has the authority to over-ride these papers!" Dumbledore smiled to her and continued to pull out papers, including his copy of the ruling of the Wizengamot.

"Prior to today, I would agree with you, Madam Umbridge, however...the Wizengamot met today and that very clause was amended. As you can see from the ruling in section 3, 'if suitable arrangements have been made for custody of the child and have been approved by the Ministry, no one, not even the Minster, can over-rule said paperwork without sufficient cause, due to the rigorous standards in place by the custody department of the Ministry in selecting and approving of a suitable guardian'.

"This is doubly so, since as you can see from the papers Severus is not just Harry's guardian, he is his legal and biological father. You know as well as I that the Ministry's hands are tied in such a case," he responded easily, watching as the woman threw the paper down and glared at everyone, throwing a bit of a fit since she had been thwarted. Percy just stared between him and her while doing a remarkable impression of a goldfish at the information of Severus being Harry's father before Umbridge snarled that they were leaving.

She shoved past Severus and moved toward the floo, but slipped on a rogue licorice snap that had somehow landed behind the chairs and fell onto her posterior. She huffed and beat the snap away as she crawled toward the fireplace, barking an order at Percy to throw the floo in.This seemed to snap the red-head out of his trance and he moved to obey, tossing in the powder as the aurors came up behind them. Umbridge sneezed as the powder passed her face just as she was speaking "Diagon Alley" and in the rush she called "Diagonally".

Had she known that Harry had done the same thing in his second year, she would have stopped to readdress the floo, but instead the party of 5 left without second thought before tumbling out of the firepit in Borgen and Burke's shop in Knockturn Alley, the same that Harry had done.

Harry and Severus exchanged looks after they had left and both spoke in unison, "Mental, that one." Severus smirked and Harry burst out laughing before they too moved to the floo.

"If there is nothing else, Headmaster, we'll be heading back to our quarters," Severus spoke but was waved off good-naturedly by a grinning Dumbledore.

"Nothing else, Professor, nothing else. Do enjoy the rest of your day." Severus nodded and escorted the boy back through the floo to their quarters.

* * *

A/N: Well, I'm certainly happy for the amount of reviews that came in with the last chapter. If I'd know I'd get that many for not posting for two weeks, I'd have done it a lot sooner. I'm kidding, I swear! cowers from the fanbased masses Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I felt we needed a humor-based chapter in the middle of unpleasant things. Reviews are greatly appreciated and definitely provide fuel for more writing!


	23. Chapter 23

In the days that followed Umbridge's visit, time passed eerily quiet. Not a peep was made by Voldemort, even after the truth of Harry's parentage was plastered all over the Daily Prophet by "unknown ministry informants". Despite the unnerving calm, Dumbledore deemed it unsafe for the trio to leave Hogwarts grounds, lest they give the snake-faced bastard a chance to strike. Of course, this led to some concern over the boys' supplies, as well as Severus' teaching stocks and how they would be gathered.

"Dobby will fetch it of course! I'm sure he'll be more than happy to for his two favorite students," Dumbledore had easily replied when the enquiry came up. A quick and happy confirmation from the house elf settled the matter. The boys were a bit miffed at being unable to leave the school, but a stern glare from Severus had them both giving sheepish looks and apologizing quickly.

There had been little discussion from those at Hogwarts about the developments about Harry's parentage, even as the rest of the staff began returning for the coming school year. A random comment, a well-wisher for Harry here and there, and an Order Member were all that really broke up the days of finishing homework, studying occlumency (which both boys were finally getting the hang of, much to the relief of those involved, as Harry's dreams started to take on a stranger life of their own), and spending time getting to know each other.

Both Draco and Severus were shocked to learn that the sorting hat had wanted to put Harry into Slytherin. In turn, Harry was shocked to learn that Draco had been dating Blaise Zabini since the beginning of their third year, an attractive Italian boy with no connections to the dark lord in any of his relations, and no interest in the war himself. He had apparently been the one that Draco went to with his problems with his family when Severus was not available. Nothing that Severus told them particularly shocked Draco, since he had known him for so long, but Harry was surprised to find out that the surly man was a half-blood and hadn't had a particularly nice childhood either.

In the last days of summer when the boys weren't studying, Harry noticed Draco becoming quieter and brooding more. After a few days of observing him, he assumed it was the boy worrying about how his "friends" would act toward him, but figured the blonde had nothing to worry about; none of the papers mentioned him, after all. On the day before the student body was to arrive, however, Harry noticed Draco accepting a post from a formidable looking eagle owl, and recalled that he had been receiving them off and on for a week or two.

His suspicion only grew when the boy huffed and stalked out of the quarters, nearly tearing the missive in two along the way. Harry was sick of his blond counterpart being broody and decided to get down to the bottom of it before it ate the boy alive from the inside out. He left a note on the dining table in case Severus got back from the Order meeting before they returned and stalked after the blonde, going back for the marauder's map after a moment. Once he located the blonde in the teacher's lounge, where they had been welcome to do homework over the summer, he followed after him, unsure of what he would say or how he would get the boy to open up to him.

He walked into the teacher's lounge, quietly sneaking up on the blonde before standing behind him. "Draco? What's up with you? You've been acting rather…odd this week," he queried, startling the boy sitting before him. Draco looked backward at Harry and scowled, stuffing the letter between the seat cushion and his thigh.

"Nothing Potter. At least nothing to concern your pretty little head with," he sneered half-heartedly, crossing his arms before his chest. Of course, Harry being the stubborn child that he was would not take that answer. He moved over to the seat, sitting on the armrest and began to "bother" Draco, muttering "bother bother" under his breath as he nudged the slender boy.

This managed to elicit a half smile, half scowl out of the Slytherin, which was about as much as Harry was hoping for. "Come on, Draaaaaaaaay, tell me. You'll feel better!" Harry whined, using Draco's childhood nickname to irk him into venting.

"FINE! God, Harry, you've perfected annoyance to an art," Draco snarled and shoved the letter at the boy to read. Harry smirked triumphantly and quickly skimmed the letter from Draco's parents. It was essentially an interrogation as to why he had not informed them immediately when he knew of Harry and Severus' relationship and why he had not replied. As a closing, it included a barely hidden threat of disownment and pain if the boy did not return home for Christmas to receive the mark. So much for Draco having it easier.

Harry looked at the barely older boy with sympathy and passed the letter back, "Your parents suck…if the other Slytherins know about this, they're gonna give you hell."

Draco rolled his eyes and stood, pushing Harry into standing if he did not want to fall off the chair, "No kidding. Those are the lovely elder Malfoys for you. If they DID tell my so-called friends, there might not be much of me to return home at Christmas. Not that I plan to." He looked vaguely ill at the thought of returning home and equally ill at the thought of being disowned. He certainly had no clue what to do.

Harry threw his arm over Draco's shoulder and gave him a light squeeze as he guided him out of the teacher's lounge, "We'll take care of you, Draco. And if those arseholes give you a hard time, you can always come sit with me over at Gryffindor table." Draco shot him a look, which equated to "you're insane, you bloody lion", which caused Harry to chuckle.

"It was just an offer!" He muttered defensively with a smirk, dropping his arm and pocketing his map. Suddenly Harry was hit by a stifling heaviness to his chest that left him gasping for breath when he thought about seeing his friends again. Granted, they knew about his changes, but he was unconscious when they had left so he had no idea where he stood with them. He had not had time to contact them afterward with the arrival of Draco and the lessons they were undergoing. It would be awkward to say the least.

"Alright there, Scarhead?" Draco muttered, looking at the boy in mild concern as he heard the intake of breath and noticed the pained look on his face. Harry shot him a look half heartedly as he regained his composure and nodded.

"Just a bit anxious about the feast is all, I don't exactly look the way I did when last year ended," he muttered with a shrug. Draco nodded and bumped him and muttered "bother bother" as they walked, sending both boys into giggling fits as they headed back to their quarters, feeling a bit better about the feast to come.

The evening of the feast found Harry pacing nervously around the entrance hall. Draco had decided not to wait in the hall with Harry, instead choosing to speak with Severus at the head table until people started to arrive. Harry was a bundle of raw and anxious nerves, excited to see his friends again but nervous as hell about how the school was going to react to the news that all of them had undoubtedly learned over the summer, in addition to his new appearance.

He nearly jumped out of his skin as a result, when Hermione squealed and effectively glomped him. He tightened up and his breath caught in his throat as he willed his momentary panic away and patted her warmly on the back. "Hey, 'Mione," he muttered into her bushy hair with a smile that managed to reach his eyes. Ron stayed behind her, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly as he eyed his friend. After a moment of them eying each other, Ron gave a half smile and gently thumped Harry in the arm.

"Glad to see you're alright there, Harry," Ron spoke up, glancing to Neville who was gaping like a goldfish momentarily before he caught himself and smiled to Harry, giving him a one-armed hug.

"Heya Harry, have a decent summer? I mean, besides, Yanno…" Neville stammered at the end, unsure if he had just committed a faux pas, but Harry simply grinned to him and hugged him back with a nod.

"It was alright, considering," he replied lightly, refusing to dwell on it. "Should we all find seats before all the good ones are taken by the younger years?" All three of the others nodded and they moved into the great hall. Harry's eyes instantly sought out Draco and Severus. He was pleased to see that Draco was ignoring his housemates as much as they were ignoring him and was conversing deeply with his boyfriend, Blaise. He smiled lightly, looked up to the head table, and nodded to Severus, getting a warm glowy feeling when the dark man nodded back.

The trio sat towards the middle of the table and Harry managed to avoid the questions of his housemates as the first years were led into the hall by Professor McGonagall. The feast carried on as usual and soon everyone was tucking into the delicious meal, though Harry could barely stomach anything, knowing that at any moment someone would mention the summers' events. Sure enough, before long, Seamus Finnigan opened his mouth.

"Oiy, Harry, I thought you'd be with the snakes now, seeing as how your father is the greasy git. Probably figure you're too good for us Gryffs," he spoke loudly enough for the entire Gryffindor table to hear, and the Ravenclaw table beside them. Harry stared at him as if he had grown a second head and listened to the Irish boy ramble on about Harry was likely going evil and was on his way to being the next dark lord. He started to tune the boy out, however, as his scar started to prickle uncomfortably and he put a hand on Ron's wand arm to restrain him from attacking the bigmouthed Irish boy.

At the head table, Severus stood quickly, a flash of pain crossing his face clenched his left fist. His quick movements caught the attention of Draco, who was sitting on the end of the table closest to the staff table and he felt his irritation rising when he heard Pansy and Crabbe snickering a few feet down. A stern look from Severus kept Draco in his seat, Blaise putting a gentle restraining hand on his arm as they watched the Potions Master try to exit out the staff door behind the table.

The door, however, had different plans and remained steadfastly locked, even through multiple unlocking charm attempts by Severus. He inhaled sharply through clenched teeth, making a hissing sound as a stronger wave of pain radiated out from his mark, causing him to grip his arm where it was located with his opposite hand. Severus sent another look at Draco, who was halfway to standing and shook his head a bit, moving around the table and heading for the front door, his legs shaking lightly as the pain kept radiating throughout his body.

He had long since known that Voldemort could send pain, even full blown curses, through the dark mark, but he had been lucky till now to not experience it. Luck, it seemed, was not on his side now.

Harry, in the meantime, whimpered just as a Seamus made a comment about Harry's hair likely turning greasy like his father's, and squeaked as a blinding pain stabbed him through his scar, feeling as though a knife were pushed through his forehead. He cried out in a strangled-kitten way and gripped at his scar, his face draining of all color as a wave of pain knocked him backwards out of his seat, just as Severus sunk to his knees halfway down the Great Hall with a stifled groan of pain.

Severus clutched his arm tightly and wavered in his semi-upright stance, looking up as a commotion broke out at the Gryffindor table. Seamus, it seemed, was freaking out, thinking that he had inadvertently done something to Harry to cause him to cry out in pain and fall out of his seat. Harry whimpered and writhed on the floor, blocking everything out but the pain, which was not too difficult to do, seeing as how it was blinding. He then focused on shoving Voldemort out from their connection and let out a slight sigh of relief as the pain receded into a dull throbbing.

Harry became aware, then, of all the activity around him as Hermione, Ron and Neville moved to his sides, gingerly helping him back to his feet, holding him as he regained his composure. He caught the tail end of Seamus' frantic apologies, still afraid that he had done something to Harry and the boy looked to the apologizer.

"We'll talk about this later, Seamus. It wasn't you, but I don't appreciate your comments on my father nor my appearance," he looked up as he heard footfalls and moved to join Draco at Severus' side, his friends reluctantly letting him go, watching him tensely in case Voldemort renewed his efforts to strike the boy.

Harry looked at Draco for an update on what was happening and Draco looked slightly alarmed at Harry's pale complexion, but neither spoke. Instead, they gently helped Severus to his feet, Harry glancing up at Dumbledore, who nodded and motioned for Madam Pomfrey to go with them. The Mediwitch nodded and instantly went into nursing mode and ordered the two boys to go back to the feast while she escorted Severus to the hospital wing.

"You may come visit him when you are finished. I need to give him my full attention until then and I'll not be having you both underfoot when you could both use a good meal," she spoke briskly, shooing them away as the boys stepped back reluctantly, watching the two adults move out of the hall, Severus looking worse for wear more and more by the minute.

Draco stared wide eyed at Harry and whispered "You alright?" near his ear. Harry nodded and tried to smile to Draco, though it did not come close to reaching his eyes. They both turned and began walking back to their seats, Harry asking about how the Slytherins were treating him so far, glad to know they were mostly ignoring him. They parted ways soon and Harry sat back down shakily, ignoring the concerned questions of his friends, shuffling food around his plate the rest of the meal, as he remained deep in thought.

Draco watched his newest friend closely, also not eating much of anything, despite Blaise's best effort. Instead, Draco clung tightly to his hand, soaking up his quiet support. Soon his eyes caught the movement of a silvery dart careening into the hall at the end of the feast as the prefects were leading the younger students out.

He stood, pressing a light kiss to Blaise's cheek and watched as Dumbledore received the message in the dart, feeling vaguely alarmed by the worried look that filled the old man's face. He looked at Harry, instantly seeing that he had noticed as well and both moved their way through the hall to the Headmaster. Albus looked at them both and tried to smile reassuringly, "The message didn't say much, just that she wanted us in the Infirmary as soon as possible. I suggest we not keep her waiting, if you boys are finished…"

Harry and Draco both nodded, waving off their respective friends, motioning for them to go onto their quarters with out them and they set off quickly after the headmaster. The three moved through the halls silently, each of them tense and worried. Upon reaching the Infirmary, they all looked at each other and stepped in, Harry's hands shaking lightly with nervousness. Poppy looked up from where she was running around fetching things, the prone, still figure of Severus on one of the beds catching their eyes instantly.

"Oh Headmaster! I gave him a dreamless sleeping potion because the bouts just kept getting worse…the Dark Lord was crucioing him through the mark! Of course the potion helps reduce the mental damage caused by it…but…well, the curses are getting worse. At first, he started bleeding and as soon as I stopped that, his vitals started failing…

"I'm afraid, if we don't find a way to stop him from sending these curses through the mark, it may be too much…Albus, Severus is dying," Poppy explained in a rush, fear coloring her tone clearly as well as helpless desperation. The woman hated being unable to do anything for a patient and she had certainly exhausted her known treatments. She looked to the two boys, feeling awful for the pain in their expressions as they rushed to Severus' bedside, each terrified in their own way about the possibility of losing their only father figure.

A/N: Hmm, a little disappointed with how I wrote this chappy, but unsure of how to make it better. Almost feels too impersonal. I hope that nothing was too out of character. Muaha, told you there was more angst on the horizon :D


	24. Chapter 24

"I'm not leaving him," Harry spoke quietly, though fiercely, glaring at the two adults trying to force them to leave.

"But Mr. Potter, he's under a dreamless sleep and it really would be best if you weren't here to see him like this…" Poppy tried to explain again feebly. Dumbledore knew it was a lost cause and gently patted Harry on the shoulder.

"You can stay, boys, but you should know I've already tried to remove the mark, multiple times…all that happens is a green fog fills the room with a hissing sound, then Riddle's laughter echoes around. I'm sorry Harry, there is not much we can do," he explained, looking sympathetically toward Draco. The blonde boy only stared at him, his face a perfect blank mask from shock.

Harry nodded and continued to stare at the more-than-usual pale face of Severus which was covered in a light sheen of sweat. The only other sign that the man's sleep was not comfortable was his occasional shift in sleep from pain or a stifled moan. It pained both boys to see their only true parental figure in miserable pain.

"Well, then…I suppose you can stay. I'm just going to put a monitoring charm on his vitals and then I want a word with you in my office, Albus," Poppy barked the order, shooting the man a look that promised many words for allowing the boys to stay with the dying man. Albus nodded and waited as the Mediwitch placed the charm on Severus, causing a soft beeping from the vicinity of his chest to begin, much like the muggle heart monitor. Satisfied that she would know if things turned bad, she escorted the headmaster to her office to exchange words and figure out a plan.

Draco watched the adults retreat and stood from his seat, moving to pace at the foot of the bed. "This isn't bloody FAIR!" he shouted, not caring that it was entirely un-Malfoyish and that his parents would be appalled. His parents. That stopped him dead in his tracks. If Severus died, no one would be able to protect him from his parents' wrath for withholding information over the summer. He paled and stilled, clinging to the footboard railing as he stared at both Harry and Severus.

Harry nodded absently, his eyes finally coming to rest on Severus' visible dark mark, now that Poppy had stripped him of his outer robes and frock coat. He glared at the mark, then, hating everything that it represents. He growled under his breath then, gripping the edge of his chair as he stared at the mark, picturing it as Voldemort, and began telling the Dark Lord off as if he would were he there in person.

Draco looked up at Harry as he began muttering, looking perplexed, as he could not hear the near-whispering, until he realized that the boy was speaking in Parseltongue and staring fixedly at the Dark Mark. His stomach clenched uncomfortably, not entirely sure what was happening as Harry begun to speak louder.

_I hate you, you prick…you have taken everything from me that mattered…I will not let you do this to the one thing that I have reclaimed, you snake-faced bastard. Leave him alone, hell, leave ME alone. You are just a half-blood anyway, less "blood pure" as your followers call it than me! You think you can control the wizarding world, but you barely made it into it. Leave my god damn father alone! _Harry continued to snarl in Parseltongue, not noticing the door open and Hermione, Ron and Blaise poke their head in.

Draco made a motion for them to stay near the door, still very tense at the end of the bed where he stood as he watched the boy beside Severus. The boy was now trance-like and seemed to not notice the green fog that began pouring out of the dark mark, so intent was he on his ranting. Draco glanced up at the others, giving them a helpless look but shaking his head furiously as they began to approach.

Draco nearly jumped out of his skin as the fog began winding around the infirmary, taking on the shape of a fanged skull with a snake for a tongue as it cruised around the room, brushing through each persons' hair and caressing their skin softly, a loud hissing sound filling the air. He tried to swat at it, but only dissipated it for a moment before it reformed and continued on its way.

The four aware teens screamed, shouted and yelled in surprise as the fog began to take on even more of a life of its own as Harry's ranting became louder, matching the hissing in the air. The foggy skulls nudged the door to the infirmary, sealing it with a loud bang behind the three before it, causing them to jump forward in surprise and Ron and Hermione to cling to each other. Draco looked up and moved to get the Headmaster and Mediwitch, but the fog was faster and secured the office door shut with a resounding click of the heavy lock.

Draco stared, pale-faced, at Harry as the dark-haired boy seemed oblivious and very pissed off, a bright white glow beginning to surround him. Suddenly the monitoring charm began to squeal rather than the steady beeping of Severus' pulse, signifying that the man was dead. This caught Harry's attention and his head cocked to the side minutely, pausing in his tirade before he began shouting in Parseltongue, the power rolling off of him like sun flares bursting from the sun, licking at the dark mark and the green skull-fog.

Within moments, a high-pitched scream broke out from all of the fog skulls and the white glow of power exploded from Harry, incinerating the fog as though it were kindling, the backlash of the power sending Harry backward into the curtain behind him and crumpled to the floor. The office and front doors exploded off their hinges and collapsed in a pile of wood in the second wave of backlash that engulfed Severus' entire body and the bed. In the third and final wave, the windows exploded and knocked Draco backward several feet, until he was shoved violently backward onto the bed across from Severus', hitting the back of his head on the headboard.

Blaise shot forward, ducking near the floor from the heat of the power and shielded Draco with his own body, protecting the unconscious Slytherin. Hermione and Ron both dropped to the floor a few feet from the collapsed door, Hermione screaming as it exploded and they clung to each other tighter, protecting each other from injury from the flying wood. As the room settled and the light suddenly vanished, the only sound remaining was the tinkling of glass and wood still falling to the floor and suddenly the beeping once more replaced the squealing of the life-monitor as the life rushed back into Severus with a ragged breath.

In the Riddle Mansion, Voldemort flew backward off of his throne from the backlash, crumpling in a heap against the wall. He breathed hard and shot a look at Wormtail, who was shifting nervously, looking at his master. Nagini looked terrified, as she had been listening to the entire conversation that he had been holding with the golden red fog that had filled the air. Unbeknownst to Harry, he HAD indeed been conversing with Voldemort via the dark mark, another lovely ability given to him the night he was attacked. At first Voldemort had been amused, knowing that the boy did not know what he was doing.

However, as the conversation progressed, it became less amusing and more difficult to remain in control of. Of course, he had argued with the boy, goading him on, but in hindsight, that probably was not a good idea.

The backlash that had traveled through the mark gave him one hell of a migraine and he was pissed. He had lost in a battle of words to that BRAT. However, he would never admit it. He stood, hissed a "come" to Nagini and stalked out of the room, leaving Wormtail to clean up the aftermath. He was going to figure out what the hell just happened and how that Potter brat ruined the fun he was having with Severus.

Ron and Hermione picked each other up and Blaise worked to revive Draco. Dumbledore and Poppy rushed back into the Infirmary about the same time, Dumbledore levitating Harry into the bed next to Severus and tucking him in as Poppy set onto Severus, checking him over. She came away flabbergasted and stared at Dumbledore, who was looking at her questioningly as she did a fine imitation of a goldfish.

"He's…he's…Albus, he's sleeping. Completely fine, albeit exhausted. And his mark…it's gone!" She exclaimed once she found her voice, gently lifting the man's left arm to show the Headmaster. Dumbledore stood shocked and motioned for her to check on Harry and the now conscious (though headached) Draco as he moved to set the Infirmary right once more. He repaired the doors with a few flicks of the wand, along with the windows and moved to the much shaken Ron and Hermione.

"I suggest you two get a good night sleep, though I would like you both to come to my office and recount the events that happened here while we were in the office…do not worry about your friend, he'll be fine," he looked up at Poppy as she nodded in agreement, gently tucking Harry in further.

"Yes, he'll be alright, though he thoroughly exhausted himself physically and magically. I'll be keeping him a few days, at least," she responded before gathering a headache potion and moved to Draco, helping him get comfortable after he changed into pajamas behind a curtain. She looked questioningly at Blaise, raising an eyebrow.

"If it's alright, ma'am, I'd like to stay the night…just to make sure he's alright," Blaise requested quietly, the first time that Hermione or Ron ever recalled the quiet Italian speaking outside of class. Poppy looked at him skeptically before tsking and shooing him to the bed next to Draco's.

"Fine, it's been an odd night, but you're not excused from classes tomorrow," she warned before moving to the teens with Dumbledore after a quick check-over and a brushing of debris from them, she gave them a clean bill of health and sent them off with Dumbledore. As she moved back toward her office, Draco sat up a bit to look at her.

"Did he really fix him? Get rid of the mark?" He queried in disbelief, thinking that it had been apart of when he hit his head.

Poppy smiled and nodded, "Completely gone, wiped out the residual curses and dark magic as well. I imagine that is why he died for a few minutes; his body purged itself of it all…quite remarkable." Everyone was still shocked at the idea that Harry had managed to do what no one else could, but no one would get any answers until the boy awoke. Poppy headed back to her office and everyone settled in for a finally peaceful evening.

Ron and Hermione finally reached Gryffindor Tower 20 minutes later, completely shell-shocked. Ron was pale and Hermione shaking, both completely overwhelmed by the display of power shown by their friend. Moreover, both were more than a little awed and afraid of the sheer amount of power given off by the teen. Both moved out of the common room quickly, dodging questions from the other students, Ron shooting Ginny and Neville a look saying that they would both explain in private. Neville followed Ron to their door, parting with Hermione and Ginny at the stairs. Hermione suddenly became very determined to figure out exactly how much power Harry would have had to inherit from his majority to do something of the magnitude that they had seen.


	25. Chapter 25

It wasn't until the following evening that either Harry or Severus began to come around. Blaise had been shooed to class first thing in the morning, and Draco soon followed him after a short check-up by Poppy and a warning to come back if his headache returned. She had been checking on her two main patients throughout the day, sectioning them off in the back of the infirmary with a partition to keep curious visitors, well-wishers, and other patients from disturbing them.

Severus awoke first, beginning to come around shortly before dinnertime. Poppy stuck her head out of her office as she heard a muffled groan and shifting sheets. She grinned, letting out a breath of relief as she watched him bury his face in his pillow and wiggle a bit, stretching his undoubtedly sore muscles. She shook her head and collected her wand, moving from her office to the side of the bed.

She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to announce her presence before speaking, "Welcome back to the land of the living, Severus. And I mean that quite literally." Severus stilled before lifting his head and blinking blearily at the woman, his hair mussed and the lines of his face relaxed in a way that made him look years younger than he normally did.

"What time is it? And what happened?" He finally spoke up, rubbing his face against the pillow once more for a brief moment before shifting and wiggling to sit up, moving the pillow behind him to prop himself up. He was incredibly sore, but knew it could be (and had been) much worse before.

"It is about a half hour before dinner, first day of classes. Albus covered for you today and will likely be doing so for a few days," she began her reply, holding up her hand to stop his protests before he got started. "You, sir, will be staying here for several days yet. As will your son." At the mention of Harry, Severus' jaw snapped shut, his head jerking up to look at her in alarm. Poppy moved a bit to the side, allowing him to see the boy in the bed to his side, using one hand to forcefully keep him from climbing out of bed.

"He'll be fine, Severus, he simply exhausted himself," she continued. At his enquiring look, she used her foot to pull the nearest chair to herself and sat, patting his hand. Normally the surly man would have shaken her off, however he was so preoccupied with his son and the annoying itch on his inner left arm that he didn't notice. Poppy cleared her throat and waited till she had his attention. "What do you recall from last night, Severus?"

He furrowed his brow for a moment, finally wiggling his hand out of her hold to scratch his arm, "The Dark Lord was attacking me through my mark, you had brought me here as it progressed to the nastier curses…I don't remember much beyond that." He seemed troubled by this confession and glanced down at his tingly, itchy arm. He sucked in a sharp breath, getting his first look at his son's handiwork and slowly raised his arm, his other hand lightly probing where the mark had been, unable to believe it as his eyes shimmered and glittered oddly. "What…"

Poppy watched him closely, gauging his reaction and letting him absorb the reality of the situation before she responded. "After I put you under last night, Albus, young Malfoy and Harry came to check on you. At that point the curses had gotten so bad, your vital signs were going in and out, and if it had continued how it was, you would have died. I told them as much, and the boys refused to leave. I placed a monitoring charm on you and took Albus to my office to discuss some things. At some point after we left, according to those who were witness to it, Harry began speaking Parseltongue to your mark, causing the fog to fill the room as when Albus tried to remove it.

"Apparently it progressed further, locking both doors after the arrival of Mr. Zabini, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger until the monitor on your vitals went off. You died, Severus, and as you did, and incredible magical force erupted from your son in a series of waves that shattered the doors and windows, knocked young Malfoy out, and brought you back. Harry was unconscious by the time we could leave my office, and your mark was gone."

Poppy trailed off, continuing to watch the normally stoic man's face roll through a series of emotions as he continued to probe his arm. "We're not entirely sure what he did, or how he did it, and we're hoping he'll be able to tell us when he wakes up. The itching is likely due to the residual magic…that's the other thing, whatever he did purged your entire being of residual and dark magic, which I believe contributed to the few moments you were dead. He completely cleansed you." A glance from Severus showed him that she was as awed and impressed as her tone expressed and he felt.

He couldn't believe it; Harry had managed to do what was supposed to be impossible. Not only would the Dark Lord be unable to track and influence him any longer, but he severed any and all connection to the psycho. The sense of elation and gratitude was stifling for the man who rarely experienced either, and he didn't notice as the Mediwitch performed her final check on him and retreated to her office.

He felt as though he were floating through a dream and fully expected himself to wake up at any moment and was surprised each moment that he hadn't. He finally shook himself out of his stupor, glancing up at the office door before carefully slipping from his bed. He tugged the chair previously occupied by Poppy along with him as he scooted to the side of Harry's bed and made himself comfortable there, watching as the boy slept peacefully for once.

Poppy had attempted to shoo Severus back into bed when she brought his dinner for him, but received a look that would have made hell freeze over and melt again for her troubles. In the end she lost, and permitted the man to stay by Harry's bedside as he ate, but told him that he would have to return to his own bed when she left for her own bed that night. After a curt nod of confirmation, but receiving no other indication that he had been listening to her, she retreated once more.

It was nearly 10pm when Harry finally stirred, the movement rousing Severus out of his light dozing in the chair. He sat up immediately, leaning forward and brushed the fringe of long hair from his son's forehead, taking note that the scar had faded considerably from how it had looked in the great hall the previous night. Vivid green eyes peeked open after a few minutes of wiggling and stretched that echoed Severus' movements from earlier, though neither were aware of it. Harry sat up immediately upon seeing Severus and patted his shoulders and arms for a moment, as though checking to see if he were really there. He blinked owlishly a few times before realizing what he was doing and recoiled as though expecting to be struck. Unable to formulate his relief into words, Severus leaned forward and pulled the boy tightly to him, hugging him thoroughly and showing no signs of letting go, even as Poppy stuck her head out of her office at the sounds. She smiled and pulled her head back in, deciding to give them a few minutes while she fire-called the Headmaster.

"You foolish, foolish boy…I can't believe you did it, you are lucky that I'm so proud of you, otherwise I'd ground you for your incredible naïve stupidity…" Severus muttered softly as he clung to Harry as much as the boy clung to him back, shuddering as he attempted to control his breathing as he realized he had not lost his father. Curious as to what he meant, Harry reluctantly lifted his head and pulled back a bit to peer curiously at Severus.

Severus raised an eyebrow, realizing for the first time that the boy actually might not know what he had done. He pulled back just a bit, holding out his arm for Harry's inspection, "You removed it, Harry…whatever you did, you completely severed my connection to the Dark Lord." Harry's eyes bugged comically as his jaw dropped, his hands darting forward to explore the man's arm.

His mouth moved up and down in a fish-like manner as he attempted to come up with a suitable response, his mind buzzing as he recalled what he had done the night before. "So it was real…I just remember being so upset and wanting him to stop," Harry mumbled, glancing up as the Headmaster and Poppy entered the room. He released his father's arm, still looking rather shell-shocked as he leaned into the man and submitted to the Mediwitch's examination.

"He's fine, just as I said before, though his magical reserves are still a little low. A few good meals and a bit more sleep and he should be completely recovered," she announced, much to the relief of the older men present. Harry continued to lean against Severus, a few of his fingers lightly ghosting along the man's inner left arm as he marveled at the life still in the man while listening to his heartbeat.

"Well, we'll let you both get to the rest of your recovery in a short while, but first I believe we're all curious as to what you experience last night, Harry. We have the stories of those who witnessed it, but we've been most anxious to hear your side of it," Albus finally spoke, watching the boy with a soft smile. Harry nodded, reluctantly sitting up and took a breath before he began to recall the previous night's events as he remembered them.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Whoot! We're almost there! DH is just under a day away, OotP is doing incredibly well in the theatre and I've mapped out the rest of where this story is going finally. Hopefully DH will push me into finishing it in the next few weeks, depending on my work schedule. I do want to thank you all for your patience and perseverance in the past two years in dealing with my fickle writing habits. Just wanted to touch base with all of you once again and to promise that I will not abandon this fic and that there is, indeed, a light at the end of the tunnel.

* * *

Harry swallowed hard, blinking owlishly at the adults around his bed, looking rather small against the mass of pillows behind him in the hospital wing bed. It was rather disconcerting having Severus', Dumbledore's, and Pomfrey's undivided attention on himself and he shifted a bit. They had all shifted around after Dumbledore had requested that Harry explain what he remembered from the night before, Harry getting shifted back against a mass of pillows and the others in seats gathered around his bed.

"Well…um. I didn't purposely do anything. Draco was ranting about how unfair things were, but I wasn't listening to him much. I just stood there, looking at him," here he nodded his head toward Severus a bit. "I just felt so angry and helpless, so I turned my attention to his dark mark, thinking about who and what it represents and treated it as though it were Voldemort himself. I started yelling at him, telling him to leave Sna—er, dad, alone. That's all I really did, then there was a big flash suddenly and the next I remember is waking up in this bed," Harry finished, looking as bewildered as he felt.

Severus stared at Harry incredulously and Madam Pomfrey was watching Dumbledore, who was deep in thought. After a moment Dumbledore nodded, seemingly to himself and looked at Harry with a smile. "Well, it looks then that we get to catch you up on events, rather than the other way around, though I think I may have an idea of what occurred.

"When you began speaking to the mark, according to young Mr. Malfoy, you were speaking in Parseltongue. Now, as I briefly mentioned, whenever I attempted to remove the mark before the only thing that occurred was that a sort of green fog would emit from the mark, almost like smoke, and Riddle's laughter would begin. It was almost as though he were mocking me for my attempt. This fog occurred when you were speaking to the mark, and Draco said that another set of hissing began, in another voice," Dumbledore continued, pausing when Harry nodded hurriedly.

"It did, then. Voldemort started to goad me, arguing back. At the time, I thought it was just my imagination, that it was what he would say back if he were there. You know how he gets when he starts making speeches," Harry rolled his eyes a bit, smirking wanly.

Dumbledore chuckled briefly and nodded, sharing a look with Severus, who seemed to also understand the reference all too well. Severus smirked, sitting back in his chair, unconsciously rubbing his left arm with a few fingertips while listening and watching Harry.

"Now then, the fog became quite animated and locked Madam Pomfrey and I in her office, while also shutting the ward's door shut behind your friends, who had just arrived. Then, according to Draco and the others, your conversation with Voldemort turned rather heated, particularly when the monitoring charm on Severus started to sound.

"It was only moments later that a blast of magical energy erupted from you, not once but thrice, shattering the windows and doors, and engulfing you and Severus. The blasts knocked young Mr. Malfoy back, knocking him out, and rendered you unconscious as well. By the time it stopped and we were able to leave Madam Pomfrey's office, Severus was alive once more."

As Dumbledore paused to allow the information to sink in for Harry, Severus picked up where he had left off, "You said you have a theory on what happened, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore nodded, looking at the younger man as he spoke, "I believe Harry may have inadvertently used a variation of Legilimency. What variation, I cannot say at this time, and it is entirely possible that it is a unique form due to Harry's connection to Voldemort through his scar. I will be researching it, and will let you both know what I find."

Harry and Severus both nodded before Severus was herded back to his own bed. Both patients were dosed with a light sleeping draught once more as both Dumbledore and Poppy -retreated to their own quarters for a night of well-earned rest.

* * *

After the rather unnerving events of the Welcoming Feast, all those involved with the events were relieved to find that the school year settled into its regular monotony, nothing more dangerous or unusual than the normal detentions and house rivalries, mounting homework and quidditch practices.

As it was their OWL year, Harry, Draco and friends were kept more than sufficiently busy and Harry could not have been happier that he had taken Hermione's advice to drop Divination, though she had been rather disappointed to learn that he had not picked up another class in its stead, rather opting to have a free period. He was very glad he did, however, as he still had to focus on Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

Add quidditch practice to that and balancing time with his Gryffindor friends and time with his father and Draco, Harry had more than his share of busy-ness. He and Draco, having become rather good at Occlumency, had moved onto Legilimency, though Severus refused to teach them the finer aspects of it, sticking with the basics. He insisted that given that it was essentially mind-reading, they really had little business learning it at their age, and only indulged them in the basics at Dumbledore's encouragement.

Harry was glad to have Lupin back for DADA, and was thoroughly enjoying his best class, homework and all, since there wasn't much. Transfiguration was much more challenging this year, and the pile of homework was substantially heavier, leading to many moans and groans at the end of every class, and an increasingly disapproving, pursed-lip expression from Professor McGonagall.

Charms varied between simple and amusing and the opposite extreme of frustrating and hair-pullingly difficult, leaving Harry feeling vaguely like he was in a wave pool that sometimes calmed and then other times threatened to drown him. Potions class was…well, potions. Having Severus not breathing down his neck and paired with Draco, who at least had some semblance of what he was doing, plus the addition of a repelling charm on the top of his cauldron had made things better, but he certainly had not inherited his parents' knack at the art, which Harry secretly thought frustrated Snape to no end. He knew it was only a matter of time before he had to start taking remedial potions, if his father had anything to say about it.

Harry used History of Magic like most others in the school, as a means of catching up on sleep or neglected homework while the ghostly Professor Binns droned on about goblin wars and giant rebellions. Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures were wonderful excuses to get outside the castle for a few hours before the weather started to turn cold for the season, though Harry didn't particularly care too much for Herbology, especially if a plant they were working with was particularly vicious, or sprayed stinky sap or oozed pus…or did really anything that most magical plants seemed to do.

CoMC was much the same with Hagrid as teacher, and if Harry had been honest with himself, he would have dropped it with Divination if Hagrid hadn't been the teacher. But he enjoyed spending time around the giant and hadn't had the heart to drop the class.

Aside from their worry, Ron and Hermione treated Harry no different than before, though occasionally Hermione would shoot shrewd looks at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. Ginny, Luna Lovegood, and Neville all started to hang around them more as well, becoming (along with Ron and Hermione) like a pack of bodyguards, buffering him from the rest of the school. Seamus had been rather subdued since the Welcoming Feast, and always gave Harry and his friends a wary berth. Dean personally had nothing against Harry, but as he was closer friends with Seamus than he was with the rest of his dorm mates, he joined him in staying on the sidelines.

* * *

Since the beginning of the year, Hermione had taken to burying herself in the library even more than usual, checking out every book with a reference of wizards coming into their majority. After a few weeks, Ron and Ginny had taken to joining her when Harry was with his "Slytherin bunch" as Ron had taken to calling Severus, Draco and Blaise.

Unfortunately for Hermione, Ron and Ginny didn't have nearly the stamina she did for a research project and had taken to doing homework or enchanting bits of paper to act like quidditch figurines and balls, starting miniature quidditch games over the tabletop with them.

"This is hopeless! There is not so much as even a mention of what the magical majority can be indicative of, nor anything really of use about it!" Hermione huffed one afternoon in mid-October. Ron and Ginny watched her as she thumbed rather violently through another dusty tome, her frustration evident. Ginny glanced around, making sure that Madam Pince had not been attracted to their location by Hermione's outburst and was surprised to see that the library was rather empty, save for the two boys coming their way.

Draco smirked and winked to Ginny, leaning between Ron and her to pull the book out from under Hermione's nose and examine it as Blaise lingered silently behind him. "You know, Granger, you really ought to keep your voice down, wouldn't want the wrong sort finding out what you're researching, lest they get curious and start to wonder why," he muttered softly, ignoring Ron trying to slink away from him. "Did you ever stop to think that perhaps you can't find anything in a book about it because there is nothing in a book about it? A magical majority is incredibly personal and never the same for two people."

He looked rather smug at his proclamation and focused on the page he had been thumbing to, raising an eyebrow before looking up at Hermione. He turned the cover so that he could read it and gave Hermione an incredulous look now, "Mind arts and disciplines, Granger? Surely even you couldn't think that there would be anything of use on magical majorities in this book…unless it's not information on magical majorities that you're really after."

Ron growled and stood, putting himself between Draco and Hermione, "What's it to you, ferret? And what, are you saying she's up to no good? If she says she's looking for stuff on magical majorities, then she is." Draco scrunched his nose as though Ron were a disgusting bug and circumvented him, sliding into the seat on the side of the table, across from Ginny, scooting his chair closer to Hermione to make room for Blaise to scoot a chair in next to him.

"I don't believe I was talking to you, Weasel. Unless I'm very much mistaken, Granger is fully capable of answering for herself," he replied to the redhead, who blushed furiously and looked ready to lean over the table and punch Draco. Ginny rolled her eyes, yanking him back into his seat and shaking her head as she went back to her essay. Ron gaped at his sister for a moment before turning his attention to Hermione as she blushed furiously and glared half-heartedly at Draco.

"Given that you're far nosier than you ought to be, Draco, I suppose I can admit that I'm not looking this up purely for my own personal knowledge. Professor Dumbledore has me looking up a few related topics as well, but that's all I'm saying to you!" She replied hurriedly, blushing even more as Ron and Ginny both stared at all, having had no idea that she was leaving things out.

"Ha, I knew it…does Potter know that you're researching him?" Draco responded before either of the Weasleys could cut in, Blaise sitting back with an amused expression as he watched the banter.

"Well, no, but Dumbledore doesn't want to tell him anything before things are fully researched," Hermione replied, nibbling her bottom lip and looking at the stack of books beside her, "But there doesn't seem to be much."

Draco slid the book to her and moved to stand, but Ginny piped up before he could, "How are things with your housemates?" Draco looked at her, giving a withering glare that somehow didn't have the same venom it used to.

"Fine, if you consider that nearly all of them have turned on me and started taking to pranking me and sabotaging me in Potions. It's a wonder they haven't started attacking me outright, yet," he replied casually, with a slight tinge of bitterness.

"Surely Professor Snape can stop them?" Hermione replied, looking at Draco with a bit of concern, which only served to make Ron's ears turn red in addition to his face.

Draco snorted derisively and stood up completely, "They don't respect or listen to him now that the truth is out about him, they have no reason to, and all the more reason to be as disrespectful and hostile toward him as possible, especially with everyone essentially spying on the other for information to pass to their parents."

"Like you used to, you mean," Ron finally spoke up, glaring at Draco. Draco stared right back before shrugging.

"Of course, it's how all of us are raised and groomed to be. Though at least Professor Snape is still the head of house and can still rule on matters related to that. They all tried to kick me off the quidditch team, but he over-ruled them. I wanted to quit after that, but Harry convinced me to stay on the team to spite them," he replied, smirking and shaking his head. "He's more Slytherin than anyone gives him credit for."

Ron looked ready to launch into an argument against that point, but Ginny kicked him, as Draco and Blaise both stood and started to head off. Draco looked over his shoulder at them, "Happy hunting, just be careful about who is around when you start screeching about not being able to find anything."

Ginny called out to him as he and Blaise moved farther away, "You know you've got us, thanks to Harry! Ron too, even if he won't admit it, and Neville and Luna are on your side as well." The only response she got was Draco pausing briefly in acknowledgement, Ron glaring at her and Hermione looking oddly proud.

* * *

­­

Halloween fast approached and was soon upon the school and Harry was excited about the feast, always loving the decorations, the sweets and the incredible amount of food that the elves prepared. Thankfully this year the holiday landed on a Saturday, so there were no classes, and Harry and his friends spent most of the time in their common room, minus Luna, who was a Ravenclaw, and the Slytherins for obvious reasons. They, like many others, had decided to eat breakfast and lunch in the tower as well, wanting to be surprised by the decorations when they went down for dinner.

Of course then, Harry should not have been surprised when they finally gathered in the Great Hall for dinner that Draco, Blaise, Severus and Dumbledore were all missing. Assuming that they were all in the dungeons for one reason or other, the Gryffindors took their seats and continued chattering about quidditch and their approaching first game against Ravenclaw.

A short time later, Severus entered the Great Hall, followed by a very silent and pale Draco. He guided the boy gently to the far end of the Slytherin table, closest to the Head table and patted him on the shoulder while muttering something into his ear. He then proceeded to his seat at the Head Table and sent Harry a rather grim look. Before Harry could really consider what could cause his father to look at him in such a way, Dumbledore entered the Great Hall, looking unusually somber and made his way to his seat, though did not sit.

He stood at the Head Table and surveyed all of the students as they grew silent and looked up to him, expecting his typical Halloween speech. He finally cleared his throat, "May I have your attention for a moment, please? Before we begin this delightful feast, I do have an announcement to make. Earlier today, a band of Death Eaters attacked a wizarding family in Cornwall. Normally, I would not bother you all with such a fact, on such a holiday, however the victims were the family of Slytherin student Blaise Zabini.

"Blaise's aunt arrived this evening to withdraw her new charge from the school, and has removed Blaise to live with his remaining relatives in Italy. Please take the time this evening to wish him well in such a harsh time of his life, and remember the Sorting Hat's words in that each house must making bonds with the others if we are all to come out of this war as best we can. And with that, tuck in." As Dumbledore sat, the tables became laden with food, though the conversation level in the hall was much more subdued than before, even at the Slytherin table.

"How awful, poor Blaise," Hermione said quietly, as she tucked into her meal and Harry could only nod in response, watching Draco closely. The boy was understandably in shock, pale and looking utterly miserable. A short while later, the eagle owl that Harry had seen him receive letters from before arrived bearing a missive. Draco took the letter warily and sent the owl off with a piece of his untouched dinner.

If at all possible, the boy became even paler and looked ready to upchuck anything he had eaten in the previous 24 hours and looked up to Severus. Harry watched the exchange and with a quick nod from Severus, left his own dinner in favor of following Draco to Severus' private quarters, waving away his friend's questioning looks and gesturing that he would tell them where he was going later.

He entered the quarters just minutes after Draco, peering around the darkened room to the figure hunched over in a chair in front of the merrily crackling fireplace. Harry approached quietly, sitting on the arm of the chair after a moment and gently laid his hand on Draco's shoulder as Draco brooded and stared into the fire.

After a few moments of silence, Draco finally spoke softly, almost to himself, "We found out at lunch, and stayed in Dumbledore's office while waiting for more news other than that there had been a raid." He scoffed at himself, "I wished we hadn't, those hours were the worst in my life. Then word came that they'd been killed…and that my father had been the leader of the raid. His aunt arrived shortly before the feast and Severus was preparing to escort me down. Blaise pulled me aside after speaking with his aunt, explained that he was going to Italy.

"Given the distance, he didn't think we would survive as a couple, so he was breaking up with me. But I could tell from the look in his eyes, that all he saw in me at that moment was my father…my father killing his family." Draco became quiet and Harry gently wrapped his arm around the other boy's shoulders, pulling him gently in silent support. After a few minutes, Draco continued, waving the missive he had received at dinner between a few fingers.

"This is from my father. It essentially says that I should consider the raid and the way my housemates are treating me as a warning of what is to come if I continue associating with you, Severus, blood traitors and mudbloods, as he put it. I don't know what to do, Potter…he attacked Blaise's family because of me, to warn me. Granted they had been neutral and weren't happy with the idea of picking sides, but that's beside the point…"

Harry suddenly realized that at some point of the discussion, Severus had joined them rather silently, but was standing back to allow Draco the time to release his thoughts. "Maybe I ought to just go home and get the mark…become a spy like Uncle Sev did. If it would stop this sort of stuff from happening and keep my parents unawares…"

Harry noted that Severus had quickly decided to join them once he realized where Draco was going with his train of thought and he sat in the chair beside Draco, staring at him intently until he had his full attention. "That is not for you to do Draco, and it would help no one. You may be fairly decent at occlumency, but the Dark Lord is one of the best legilimens in the world. He would see through what you were doing and kill you before you would even receive the mark.

"It is not your fault that Mr. Zabini's family died, only your father's and the Dark Lord's and everyone else that was in that raid. Things will work out and you will stay safely within the walls of this school, completing your education. THAT should be your first priority, not some half-baked idea of spying. You are not even of age yet and would be utterly useless to the Dark Lord short of being cannon fodder. So no, Draco, you will not get the mark and become a spy, even if I have to bind you to that chair until the war is over," Severus spoke softly, with great conviction.

After a few moments, Draco nodded and Severus visibly relaxed a bit, taking over for Harry in embracing the boy gently around the shoulders. "Of course, you're right Uncle Severus…I just hate feeling useless and vulnerable to my parent's threats." Severus nodded his understanding and looked over his head to Harry.

"Draco, I'd prefer if you were to stay in my guest room tonight, given the current attitudes of your housemates and I will discuss the possibility of moving you into that room temporarily with the Head Master, as a measure of safety for you. Harry, you are welcome to stay tonight as well, or you may return to the feast and your friends." Harry examined his father's tired and weary expression and Draco leaning into him as though he were a rag doll, knowing that his father wanted time alone with his godson to console him and hopefully get Draco to get a full night's sleep, even a potions induced one.

Harry shook his head and stood, "I'll head back, give you two some time to sort things out…" He replied a bit awkwardly, feeling better when he saw his father's nod and his expression of thanks in return. Harry nodded in return and retreated from Severus's quarters to head back to his friends and the feast, hoping that Draco would be all right with Severus guiding him.


End file.
